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Bonk , C 5 5 
C«EyiiglitN°__ 


CT£®XRSGHT DEPOSIT. 









* 




THE RAILROAD FIST 


or 

CASWELL SYSTEM 

£ 


A treatise on the expert rapidity 
of handwriting 

* 


GUY RICH CASWELL 

Author and Publisher 
Jamestown, - North Dakota 




. c.^ 


Copyright 19 2 3 
— by — 

Guy Rich Caswell 





DEC 31 "23 


I 


Dedicated to no other than “Prof.” 
(Prof. M. A. Beatty, New York City.) 


INTRODUCTION 


m HEN those who can remember are not in¬ 
cluded, it is probably not generally known 
that during the first few years after the 
Morse telegraph system came into use, messages were 
not read by sound as they are at the present time, but 
from machine written dots and dashes, printed or 
impressed on long strips of paper or tape. Copying 
Morse signals by sound came later; and it was no 
gi eat while from the time when this practice was put 
into general use by telegraph and railway companies 
before it was observed that most of the operators, 
especially those who had been in the service for any 
length of time, seemed naturally to adopt a style of 
handwriting which in itself was peculiar—was par¬ 
ticularly characteristic of the telegraphic profession. 
Among those who have given a little thought to the 
subject, how it happens that the handwriting of the 
telegraph operator should be so different from that 
of other business persons whose work may require 
the same or even a greater amount of writing, is a 
question that for many years has been puzzling. 

When the average operator is asked for enlight¬ 
enment as to why so many in his profession write so 
nearly the same, he is not as a rule able to give much 
explanation. If led into a little discussion on the sub¬ 
ject, he will usually acknowledge that very early in 
his telegraphic career he had already discovered that 
the ordinary style of writing was in no way adaptable 


4 


to his requirements—not in that it lacked in any way, 
but, rather the reverse, in that it contained too much; 
consequently, before much advancement had been 
made, it was natural for him to arrive at the conclu¬ 
sion that if an operator really desired to be in the 
swim with the better class of his colleagues, it would 
be necessary to learn how to swing a reasonably fair 
“operator’s mitt;” not merely as a matter of follow¬ 
ing the style, but mostly in order to keep abreast with 
his fellow workers. The ability to swing a rapid pen 
without sacrificing any of the legibleness of his writ¬ 
ing was found almost as necessary as an ability to 
read the noise from the sounder. But how was it 
acquired? If the discussion is continued he will also 
be likely to confess that, while acquiring proficiency 
in writing, he has never given much thought to the 
position of his hand nor to the manner of holding a 
pen, but always when at work he has merely “taken 
his pen in hand” and executed his writing in a way 
that seemingly came easiest to him, regardless of what 
he may have been taught with respect to such matters 
when he went to school. 

As far as letter-form construction is concerned, 
there are probably a great many instances where many 
of the characteristic twists and turns are adopted 
through observance of the manner in which they are 
handled by the more experienced telegraphers with 
whom the student chances at different times to be 
employed; also, owing to the fact that he is ever 
favored with excellent opportunities for the scrutiny 
of different specimens of handwriting, such as it is 
his privilege to examine in messages, train-orders, 


5 


way-bills, and other simliar papers which are constant¬ 
ly passing through his hands, he thus gains incidentally 
a considerable amount of knowledge pertaining to the 
finer points of the art while his time is devoted only 
to the performance of daily duties. But not all by 
any means can be learned by mere observance—con¬ 
siderable application is required as well. Again, 
not all the letter forms nor the style in general can 
appeal to every individual who chances to enter the 
telegraphic field, so the adoption would never be so 
general were it not for the fact that there are many 
substantial reasons why this particular style is more 
adaptable than any other to the telegrapher’s use. 
That there is a certain distinction in the style is 
evidenced when one considers that it is only in rare 
instances that persons in other lines of business, 
whose work may also necessitate a great amount of 
writing, ever acquire the “knack” of writing exactly 
like the operator; however, there is an explanation: 
The average office man, even when writing hurriedly, 
is, in a way, taking his own time; but the operator, 
when copying Morse, must of necessity adjust or con¬ 
form the speed of his writing to whatever rate chances 
to suit the convenience of some one else, this being 
the man at the sending end of the wire. When the 
sounder clicks off the signals faster than seems pos¬ 
sible for a “human” to put them down, the operator 
is almost obliged to resort to the strategy of the pro¬ 
verbial rabbit of which it it said that once, when 
closely pressed, it actually climbed a tree—an extraor¬ 
dinarily unusual performance for a rabbit we must 


6 


admit, but, in this particular instance, the rabbit 
“just had to.” 

The comparison is not altogether absurd. It is 
due to the many ways in which the telegrapher ac¬ 
complishes a great many feats of the pen—feats well- 
nigh impossible except for those well trained in this 
particular craft—that a topic has been furnished for 
discussion and a theme for the subject of this book. 

During the recent World War, different railway 
companies throughout the country, in order to pro¬ 
tect the positions that were vacated by the many 
young men operators who responded to their country's 
call, established and maintained a number of telegraph 
schools where young women students were furnished 
free training in telegraphy and train operation; 
and the writer, who chanced to be in the service of 
a railway company at this time, was assigned to 
instructing the classes in one such institution. The 
superior advantage to the operator in being able to 
write a creditable telegraphic hand was very well 
known to the writer at the time of taking up his 
duties as instructor; consequently, with a view to 
having the students acquire the greatest amount of 
proficiency in the shortest possible time, he earnestly 
endeavored to have each and every one make a fitting- 
start with the style of penmanship which was known 
to be best adapted to the profession. The results ob¬ 
tained through a little experimenting with teaching 
the operators' characteristic style of writing were, 
in nearly every instance, both surprising and gratify- 
ing. 

And something more was learned—it was dis- 


7 


covered to the writer’s complete satisfaction that 
there is a much easier and quicker way of learning 
how to write the telegraphic hand than by merely 
depending upon the chances one usually has for pick¬ 
ing up the art little by little here and there. Where 
a period of several years is likely to be required for 
the gaining of no more than a few minor points, such 
as one is entitled to learn within a few weeks’ time, 
the accomplishment tends toward being altogether too 
slow and uncertain; and it was in consequence of 
these conclusions, which were arrived at while the 
writer was actually teaching this system of writing, 
that the idea of writing the theory, or a treatise, on 
the subject of telegraphic chirography was conceived. 
And it has been realized that such a treatise, in order 
to meet with any amount of success, must necessarily 
be considerably different from any book of the kind 
ever before published. However, in designing and 
arranging the different lessons, the object in view has 
been, not especially the gaining of any remunerative 
benefit from the venture in a business way, but, more 
paiticularly, pastime and study of a subject in which 
the writer could not but feel a profound interest; and 
if, in the course of time, he should be convinced that 
his efforts have brought about even a little help to 
a few among the army of his fellow workers, he will 
feel that not one moment given to the work has been 
in vain. 

But the question, “Why is it that so many teleg¬ 
raphers write so nearly alike?” has not as yet been 
answered; and a singular feature of the case is that 
it matters not whether the query is put to one who 


8 


writes a beautiful telegraphic hand or to one less ac¬ 
complished—the answer, if any at all is given, is 
never sufficiently enlightening. Besides furnishing 
proper instruction for all who would learn to write 
rapidly and well, it has been the purpose to include 
within the pages of this small volume the complete 
solution of a problem which has long been an enigma 
to a considerable number, both in and out of the pro¬ 
fession; and it is earnestly believed that the reader 
who may consider it worth while to give the greater 
part of these lessons a reasonably careful perusal will 
find that the mystery concerning the “Railroad Fist” 
is herein explained to his entire satisfaction. 

THE AUTHOR. 


9 


JUST WHAT IS MEANT BY LEGIBILITY 

"BECAUSE of the writers wish to have this work 
entirely complete, there will be found in the pages 
that follow, especially where capitals are treated, sev¬ 
eral instances that allow of more than one handling 
of the same character. In order to leave the reader 
somewhat advised in the matter of determining which 
to consider best wherever there is a variety of forms 
from which to make a choice, frequent comparisons 
have been made with respect to the legibility of the 
different styles; and so, before setting forth any 
actual instruction in writing, an attempt is made to 
render the significance of such discussions somewhat 
clearer by bringing the subject of legibility into the 
limelight for a preparatory consideration. 

When criticising writing from an easy-to-read 
point of view, it appears to be well-nigh impossible 
to find specimens that possess any quality other than 
merely that of legibility—that is, as the term is usually 
applied. However, by way of calling attention to 
the extension of meaning which the definition im¬ 
plies, the. following will serve as an illustration thus, 
it might be said that, with very few exceptions, all 
business signs are perfectly legible, or, at least, they 
usually can be read without the slightest difficulty; 
but, in addition to this, a great many sign displays 
are found which so obtrude themselves on the passer¬ 
by as to almost compel attention. They have what 
may be termed a “calling-out” feature—the extent 
to which this peculiarity is at any time in evidence 
may sometimes be due to some one's good luck in 


10 


the matter of choosing suitable colors and style of 
lettering, but the amount of its presence usually de¬ 
pends upon just how well this feature in sign writ¬ 
ing has been understood by the painter. A dealer 
in hardware, wishing to make the nature of his bus¬ 



iness known as widely as possible, would not likely 
consent to having the lettering of a sign done in a 
style, tall, narrow, and slanting, like that of the first 
example illustrated, for, even though the workman- 

HARDWARE 

ship were perfect, the desired effect would not be ob¬ 
tained. On the other hand, a glance at the second 
illustration should without argument be sufficient to 
convince even one entirely unacquainted with the 
business that this style would serve the purpose con¬ 
siderably better; although, from one point of view, 
it cannot be claimed that the lettering, considered 
merely as a design, is any more legible than that of 
the first example. It is only in that Fig. 2 seems 
to “cry the wares” so much the louder that the dif¬ 
ference between the two from an advertising stand¬ 
point is so great as to leave no allowance for com¬ 
parison. No dealer with an eye for business would 
be so unwise as to sacrifice this voicing feature in 


11 


his sign display merely for the sake of decorating the 
front of his establishment with an example of some¬ 
thing more unique and fancy in lettering. 

Business writing should, to a greater extent than 
most people realize, conform closely to what has 
just been said respecting the lettering of signs. That 
which can easily be read is usually termed legible , but 
good business writing in order to comply with all re¬ 
quirements should, like the sign, possess the same ad¬ 
ditional feature; that is, not necessarily the greatest 
amount of uniformity and other requirements of ex¬ 
actness, but, rather, so much distinctness in every way 
that the words to the one who reads will seem almost 
spoken instead of written. 

The writer has no hesitancy in setting forth the 
claim that the telegraphic hand, of which this volume 
treats, is endued more than is any other style with 
this desirable feature in up-to-date business writ¬ 
ing; and he also maintains that where one has ac¬ 
quired the knack of putting down a good “operator’s 
fist” with a reasonable amount of skill, his ability 
as a penman will place his worth in the business field 
considerably above that which is held by those who 
remain in the rut through clinging to old-fashioned 
rules respecting slant, spacing, uniformity, etc. Little 
do hurried business men or worried officials care for 
“finicky” things in writing when perusing such im¬ 
portant letters and documents as usually claim their 
attention—the context only, which must be reached 
through the medium of writing, is the issue here that 
is paramount to all else; and, in consequence, the 
style of writing permitting at a glance the greatest 
12 


conception of thought is naturally the one that serves 
the purpose best in every way. In brief, the desid¬ 
eratum in business writing, is the maximum degree 
of legibleness, regardless of conflicting rules and 
traditional styles. 

The foregoing has not been prompted by prejudice. 
Where one possesses the inclination and can, without 
too much sacrifice of other interests, devote the 
amount of time necessary to the attainment of a beau¬ 
tiful, ornamental style of penmanship, the writer 
would not advance one word in disparagement—pro¬ 
ficiency in this line when once attained is certain¬ 
ly an admirable accomplishment. But there are cer¬ 
tain restrictions. The field where the art may be 
displayed to advantage is assuredly not where busi¬ 
ness requirements are foremost; and so, one should 
never become so zealous as to make a practice of 
writing for exhibition where such displays are al¬ 
together out of place. The penman who does not 
see this mistake, no matter how meritorious may be 
the product of his quill, will meet with many disap¬ 
pointments by allowing himself to suppose that ap¬ 
preciation will always be shown for his artistic at¬ 
tempts. Through kindness of NEA Service, Inc., 
we are permitted to reproduce an Everett True car¬ 
toon which well illustrates the point. 

Considering the matter of fancy penmanship as 
it is concerned in the telegraphic profession, it should 
be realized by the student that the beautiful, ornate 
style, such as is usually displayed in penmanship-school 
catalogues, is not intended to be written faster than 
from ten to twelve words a minute; and when even 


13 















































































































a professional attempts to write this style at a speed 
which is no more than ordinary among the telegraph¬ 
ers, he is seldom able to produce more than an illegible 
scrawl across the page. 

Following this, it is easily observed that the so- 
called “business hand,” such as is taught in most 
business colleges, differs but little from the ornate 
style, except in the matter of shading and less elabor¬ 
ate flourishing; therefore, when it is understood that 
the work of the telegrapher often necessitates an 
ability to “slap it down” at the rate of, say, “40 per,” 
it stands to reason that the operator who strives to 
acquire enough proficiency in writing to enable him 
to copy Morse in a creditable slanting hand, is cer¬ 
tainly laboring against heavy odds. 

To conclude, the student’s first promise of success 
is evidenced when he shows an inclination to entirely 
disregard most of those writing principles which 
he learned at school and begins to adopt a way of 
manipulation which enables him to wiggle and zig¬ 
zag his stylus along as fast as prestidigital tactics will 
allow, yet not without the possibility of leaving in its 
trail a line of script that is perfectly legible—and 
beautiful, too, to the eye that is trained and labors 
where such conditions and requirements exist as have 
been responsible for the creation of the style. 


15 


POSITION 

A SIDE from rapidity of execution and legibleness, 
^ ^ the railroad style of writing possesses other 
redeeming features which cannot always be taken ad¬ 
vantage of by adherents to the ordinary slanting- 
style, and foremost among these comes the matter 
of position, or the manner of holding the pen. Among 
those in the ordinary walks of life there are very 
few who ever very long adhere to the practice of 
holding the pen or pencil in the manner that is usual¬ 
ly taught in the school and the college, but there are 
very good reasons why this advocacy of the ped¬ 
agogues is disregarded to so great an extent. The 
full arm movement, so generally supposed to be the 
“only way,” is found essential only where it is de¬ 
sired to produce in the style an abundance of ease 
and grace; and when exactness must be maintained, 
its use is possible only where the matter of time is 
hardly taken into consideration. 



Where the maximum speed in writing becomes 
necessary, such as is most of the time a requirement 


16 





in the operator’s every-day routine, the full arm move¬ 
ment can play only a subordinate part—that of an 
assistant in carrying the hand from place to place 
over the writing surface, and, occasionally, in exe¬ 
cuting some of the larger capitals; but the actual writ¬ 
ing must be accomplished almost entirely with the 
fingers and hand. The average telegrapher penman, 
writing in his accustomed way, seemingly brings in¬ 
to play a considerable amount of arm movement, but 
this motion is really only sympathetic. The energetic 
working of the fingers and the swinging of the hand 
necessarily influence a unisional movement in the low¬ 
er arm because one is but part of the other, but by 
far the greater part of the energy actuating the move¬ 
ment is found to function from the muscles that con¬ 
trol the hand and fingers. 

There are but very few telegrapher penmen who 
ever use the full arm movement, and those who do 
are by no means the best scribes since this mode of 
writing is not so well adapted to such speedy require¬ 
ments ; however, it need not be taken for granted that 
no arm movement whatever should ever be resorted 
to. The best railroad penman is allowed to take ad¬ 
vantage of an occasional full arm swing, as he some¬ 
times does, especially in the handling of certain capi¬ 
tals where it seems desirable to execute them on lib¬ 
eral lines and where the action is not in the least 
restricted, but the operator’s full arm movement dif¬ 
fers somewhat from that of the ornamental penman’s 
—the forearm is not rolled in so much towards the 
body, so as to bring the wrist level, but is held more 
on the quarter in practically the same position as when 
17 


only the fingers are employed. The truth remains, 
nevertheless, that, when writing at utmost speed, it 
would hardly be possible for the operator to resort 
to any arm movement at all were it not for the fact 
that when this style of writing is used, one is not 
strictly confined to any particular exactness; conse¬ 
quently, when the momentum of the arm is respon¬ 
sible for an occasional loss of control, the writing 
can still conform with practically all requirements. 

There are two very good reasons why the penman 
who experiences a demand for speed so great as does 
the telegrapher, is well-nigh compelled to restrict his 
way of manipulating the pen almost entirely to finger 
action: First, when the pen is grasped in the act ofwrit- 
ing with the finger movement, there are no require¬ 
ments in the position where a perfectly natural posture 
of the hand cannot be maintained at all times. The 
position need not be educated—no long and tiresome 
drills are necessary in order that the muscles may be 
trained in holding the pen in an unnatural manner 
merely for the sake of gaining some minor advantage, 
which, after being attained, is of use to no one but 
the artist or the professional. Second, when full arm 
movement is attempted, the bulk and weight of the 
forearm is found too great to admit of its being 
jerked back and forth—round and about, in such 
manner as is necessary in order to execute this class 
of rapid writing. Each rapid movement in any one 
direction gathers too great an amount of momentum 
to admit of change to another without an accompany¬ 
ing loss of speed or the loss of control. The fingers be¬ 
ing lighter and more jointed than the cumbersome 


18 


arm are better suited to the accomplishment of those 
rapid twists and turns which require actual dexterity 
and skill for their execution. Again, the penman who 
tries always to use the full arm movement is fre¬ 
quently handicapped in doing his best writing where, 
owing to crowded desks or unsuitable writing con¬ 
veniences, it may not be an easy matter to provide 
the arm with the necessary amount of room or sup¬ 
port; also, the action can be considerably hampered 
by an excess of clothing or a closely fitting sleeve. 

Where the movement employed in writing is 
actuated by the hand and fingers, there are two direc¬ 
tions in which the point of the pen is easiest carried; 
that is, considering that the writing line is being main¬ 
tained at nearly right angles with the forearm. The 
first is from lower left to upper right, the action be¬ 
ing produced by just a little side rocking of the hand; 
occasionally too, by a slightly swaying instead of 
a rocking movement. The second is up and down, 
vertically from the base line, the action here being 
produced by a slight bending of the fingers, the mid¬ 
dle joints of the two resting upon the holder being 
mostly used as the hinge. Any movement produced 
by doubling up the fingers and extending them in and 
out from the direction of the palm should be avoided 
—it proves altogether too slow, awkward, and tiring. 
When the action is properly employed, the fingers 
will force the holder towards the thumb, this mem¬ 
ber always giving way to the repeated pressures and 
always following the holder back after the fashion of a 
spring, the office of which may be considered as a sup¬ 
port for retaining the holder against the under side of 


19 


the forefinger. Because the sense of touch is always 
highest developed at the tips of the fingers, there is 
a corresponding advantage in pen control when the 
thumb and forefinger so rest against the holder that 
the points of contact fall close to their ends; also, 
the grip on the holder should fall rather close to the 
pen socket. 

The weight of the hand is usually distributed along 
the side, although the center of control may be either 
near the outside of the first joint of the little finger 
or on the ball of the joint at the base of the hand, 
this being mostly a matter of whichever way comes 
easiest to the individual. It is probable, however, 
that the greater percentage of the most skillful class 
prefer to fulcrum the weight on the little finger, but 
not without an occasional shifting to the ball of the 
hand when it is desired to execute some of the larger 
swings, and at which time the wrist is allowed to be¬ 
come a free and easy working joint so that the hand 
can swing instead of rock from side to side. In¬ 
structions for writing the free arm movement re¬ 
quire that the top of the wrist shall be kept level or 
nearly so at all times; but where the work is ac¬ 
complished with the hand and fingers, the position 
is such that the top of the wrist inclines downward 
toward the outside. The angle may be as much .as 
45 degrees—a little variation one way or the other 
is of no material consequence. 

When the work is performed in accordance with 
this system of writing, it is in no way necessary that 
the pen should skim over the surface of the paper 
in such way as is the requirement when the free arm 


20 


movement is skillfully employed; but, rather to the 
contrary, it should be handled identically as is the 
ordinary pencil when only the hand is supported. 

Where one writes naturally with a heavy hand, the 
pen is likely to sound an occasional scratch, but to 
this there is no particular objection—if the correct 
position for the proper execution of the style is main¬ 
tained, there will be a tendency to pull rather than 
to push the work, and in consequence the pen-point 
will incline in the wrong direction for piercing the 
paper when the slightly excessive pressure is placed 
upon it. There should be just enough pressure upon 
the pen to serve in slightly steadying the hand. Many 
of the highest grade specimens of telegraphic 
chirography show marked evidence of firmness in the 
grip and pressure. 

Aside from those who make a study of penman¬ 
ship and strive for professionalism, there are very 
few who ever give heed to any instructions concern¬ 
ing the relative position of the body to the desk, and 
nearly all persons employed in business offices are 
included in this class. As a rule, the telegraph oper¬ 
ator sits squarely facing the “bench,” but with the 
writing line traveling the pen along anglewise away 
from the body, the line of script following a direction 
that is a little less than at the right angles with the 
forearm. If the writing is backhand, the base line 
is usually parallel with the edge of the desk. The 
amount of slant given to the style is governed, not so 
much by any change in position, nor by any attempt at 
carrying the lines to a particular angle, as mostly by 
the different angles at which the writing line is main- 


21 


tained, the position of the arm and the hand remain¬ 
ing the same at all times. The more the paper is turn ¬ 
ed toward the left, the more as a natural consequence 
will the writing lean toward the right, and vice versa. 

In the matter of squarely facing the desk, it is 
probable that the telegrapher educates himself in this 
owing to the necessity of his always keeping a posi¬ 
tion that will enable him to reach the telegraph key 
without shifting or turning the body. When only the 
act of writing is considered, there is always a slight 
advantage in keeping the right side of the body a 
little nearest to the desk—the arm and hand is seem¬ 
ingly brought into the most comfortable and natural 
position for placing the pen upon the paper in the 
act of writing; also, more of the table room is given 
to the hand that actually performs the work. 

The cut at the beginning of this chapter illustrates 
two entirely different writing positions. The first is 
the full arm, or muscular, showing the position of the 
wrist to be nearly level, while the writing is “p us lied” 
along the line. The second illustrates how the hand is 
held where the finger movement is employed; also, 
how the action is more of a trailing rather than a 
pushing movement. The hand perhaps does not al¬ 
ways rest along the side quite so much as the illustra¬ 
tion would have it appear; however, the greatest 
freedom of the writing fingers can be exercised only 
when they are not in any way hampered with sup¬ 
ping the weight of the hand. 


22 


PRINCIPLES 

/CONCERNING the matter of style, it is found that 
there are really too many different letter forms 
in use to allow of selecting any one particular alpha¬ 
bet and setting it forth as a standard; and inasmuch 
as the individual tastes of the thousands using the 
system have a tendency to create a great many 
variations among what are apparently intended to 
be the same forms, it is not always an easy matter 
for one to decide upon just what might be best to 
adopt; consequently, in the preparation of this 
treatise the intention has been, not especially to offer 
any of the specimen writing as a standard for adop¬ 
tion, but, rather, to design a series of lessons that will 
teach the principles of the system from instruction 
concerning mostly the “knack,” or manner of execu¬ 
tion. When the proper way of manipulating the pen 
becomes the practice, a closer resemblance to the 
usual forms will follow than would otherwise result, 
even if the different letters were drawn from copies. 
Furthermore, in working out the principles of the art 
rather than devoting the time merely to accumulating 
and copying different specimens, it has been possible 
to eliminate a great many fads and fancies which 
from another viewpoint would not have been recog¬ 
nized as such. 

It develops then that there actually is a certain 
amount of science connected with the writing of a 
good “railroad fist, ,, but hardly one person in a thou¬ 
sand who employs the style is ever aware of the 
scientific principles involved in its execution. Few, 


23 


if any, have ever learned the art through study and 
application of its governing principles—it has previ¬ 
ously been explained that, when the penman is not 
too stiff fingered and possesses just a little adeptness 
for penmanship, the knack is usually acquired simply 
by allowing time to take its course until the demands, 
such as are invariably made upon the average teleg¬ 
rapher, result in his adopting a way of writing 
best suited to his requirements; and this regardless 
of how the facility is acquired, whether by observing 
to some extent the way veterans write, or wholly 
through following the lines of least resistance. The 
reader should not deduce a conclusion from the fore¬ 
going that the telegrapher penman acquires any great 
part of his facility in writing by imitating the style 
or learning to copy it as a form. Learning the knack 
is the real accomplishment; and when this has been 
acquired, the style and most of letter forms follow 
as a natural consequence—in truth, the points of ad¬ 
vantage in many of the telegraphic pen characters 
cannot always be fully appreciated before the correct 
way of manipulating the pen has been learned, 
whether by study or acquired from habit. 

The telegraphic script is the outcome of neither 
fad nor chance. Merely taking advantage of every 
easiest and quickest way in the manner of execution, 
rather than striving to produce any special letter 
forms, has more than all else been resultant in the 
creation of the telegraphers’ characteristic style of 
writing. And there is involved a single fundamental 
principle which more than any other feature is 
responsible for most of the peculiarities of the style, 

24 


the explanation of which is set forth in the following: 

Without overlooking the importance of what has 
been said concerning position, the student must also 
bear in mind the fact that, in the formation of the 
script, the pen very seldom is carried in a backward 
direction, neither directly nor diagonally, except in 
those instances where it would not be possible to 
construct the letter forms in any other way. With 
every stroke, both up and down, there should be a 
prevailing tendency, especially in the construction of 
the lower case, to advance the pen or pencil across 
the page in a direction coinciding with the course of 
the writing. The movement may be likened some¬ 
what to that of a sailboat in the act of working its 
way against the wind by what is termed “tacking”— 
back and forth across an imaginary line running in 
the direction desired to travel—every trip across the 
line advancing the vessel considerably beyond the 
point where it crossed the time before. 

Another example, which probably somewhat bet¬ 
ter illustrates the theory involved in the telegrapher 
penman’s mode of writing, is oftentimes unintention¬ 
ally enacted by youngsters at play with an ordinary 
toy wagon when the one who chances to take part as 
passenger attempts with stick in hand to trace his 
name or other wording in the sand or dust while his 
conveyance is being drawn steadily along by his 
companions. While it is not at all probable than any 
thing in the least artistic has ever been accomplished 
through such prankish endeavors, the fact remains, 
nevertheless, that the action here employed may quite 
well be compared with the underlying principle of 


25 


the telegrapher’s method of writing. The pen, like 
the urchin’s less wieldy implement, while being carried 
steadily along in the direction indicated by the writ¬ 
ing line, leaves in its trail a line of script which, ow¬ 
ing to the conditions under which it is constructed, 
must always retain those characteristics peculiar to 
the style—there is but little halting or “backing up 
the cart” for allowing the line to be carried towards 
the rear; and, consequently, in order to have little 
or no interference with the continuity of the move¬ 
ment forward, the backward trips when not entirely 
dispensed with must be executed with genuine dexter¬ 
ity. In addition, all letters must be so formed that the 
finishing stroke of each will be, as nearly as possible, 
the beginning of the next. By this is not meant the 
“finishing curve,” such as is attached to all lower case 
letters in the ordinary slanting alphabet, but the fin¬ 
ishing line in the letter itself—the body, as it is called. 

Aside from the possibility of accomplishing per¬ 
fect legibility without resorting to the practice of 
carrying the pen backward except where positively 
necessary, there are obvious reasons why it is ad¬ 
vantageous to eliminate those little backward trips 
almost entirely. Because they seriously interrupt 
all forward progress by turning the moving pen 
directly away from its course, they consequently be¬ 
came a serious impediment to the accomplishment of 
“railroad speed” in writing. They not only check the 
movement, but also necessitate traveling the pen a 
greater distance “out of the way,” and this, obviously, 
requires a line that is correspondingly longer for des¬ 
cribing the different characters. Again, the “ratchet 


26 


action/’ which their execution requires, is not at all 
in accordance with the way in which the expert rail¬ 
road penman so successfully waves and zig-zags his 
lines across the page. 

A second important practice to be observed—one 
that is closely adhered to by those who write with 
the easiest swing—is to eliminate all positive stops 
of the pen wherever possible to do so without impair¬ 
ment to the legibility of the characters. This practice 
is resorted to in the handling of capitals and small 
letters alike, and its employment, like the “tacking” 
principle, is somewhat responsible for the character¬ 
istic appearance of the telegraphic script, although 
its effect is restricted more to certain characters 
rather than to the writing as a whole. Apparently, 
some of these positive stops do not check the move¬ 
ment of the pen nor the rocking and swaying of the 
hand so much as others—those interfering with the 
lateral movement being the ones which the rapid pen¬ 
man tries mostly to eliminate; and, while there are in¬ 
stances where he merely turns a rounding corner in¬ 
stead of a sharp one, he usually accomplishes the 
trick by making little loops where otherwise abrupt 
angles would be used. The reason for this is simple; 
the explanation being that, when diverting the course 
of the rapidly moving pen, the feat is more easily and 
quickly accomplished by the employment of a swing¬ 
ing movement rather than a positive stop—the latter 
way is more opposed by inertial resistance, both in 
checking the motion and in starting it a second time. 
Humoring the inertial resistance is one of the im¬ 
portant secrets; and so, to apply the principle here, 

27 


a small loop is seemingly made with a single effort, 
while to turn a sharp corner requires two. 

In following the practice of eliminating every ab¬ 
rupt turn and positive stop wherever possible, many 
of the best “ink slingers” in the profession frequently 
bring into play another little sleight which, while not 
so important as some of the others, is time saving 
because, like the elimination of the positive stop, its 
employment makes it possible t to execute certain 
characters with a smooth and rolling movement where 
a halt or jerk would otherwise be required. In 
explanation, it is necessary to state that when the 
operator employs his favorite swinging or circular 
movement, the hand is invariably circled, or rotated, 
towards the left. Now, if all characters were to be 
formed after the fashion of the ordinary slanting 
style, he would too frequently find it necessary to 
check this circular movement and to start the pen 
in the opposite direction; and so, rather than do this, 
as would be necessary if any letter were to be started 
with a left curve, an inclination is shown to lift the 
pen and circle round the letter, so that the writing 
line is separated and the start made backwards from 
the top. 

To the reader who has never made any close study 
of the principles of penmanship, it may be well to 
explain the exact meaning of the terms “right curve” 
and “left curve.” A right curve is so called because 
the bend is towards the right, and when the line is 
started at the bottom, the circular movement used 
to describe the curve is naturally towards the left. 
A left curve is the opposite of the right, both in the 
28 


bend and the direction of the circular movement. 
When the start is made at the top, both bend in curve 
and circular movement are in the same direction. 

In discussing the subject of the broken line, of 
which the word “Forward” as shown is a fair exam¬ 
ple, the question arises as to why the line is frequent-* 
ly separated in some words and not in others when 
the combination of letters is apparently the same in 



each instance. The example word reveals two breaks 
in the writing line; one between the F and the o and 
the other between the last r and the d. No attempt 
has been made to attach the F to the o, nor the last r 
to the d —in each instance the pen has been lifted 
and replaced so as to begin the o in one place and the d 
in another with a movement circling towards the left. 
One break occurs after the last r, but there is none 
between the first r and the w; consequently, it is seen 
that it is the approaches and not the finishing strokes 
that are responsible for the breaks. This rule is 
practically an invariable one, excepting that the o’s 
are very frequently made entirely separate; also, the 
pen is most frequently lifted before small o , but c is 
a close second in this respect. Next follows a and 
any of the others that begin with a similar construc¬ 
tion, such as d, g, etc., although all these, excepting 
the lower loop of g, can be made with the left circular 
movement and without lifting the pen as is shown 


29 


in the following lessons. Again, the habit of lifting 
the pen in some places and not in others is occasion¬ 
ally due to crowding or binding of the fingers; and 
while this feature possibly accounts for a share of the 
irregularity in the breaks, it is not of enough im¬ 
portance to be given any great consideration. The 
operator usually swings his arm too freely to admit 
of the fingers binding to any noticeable extent. 

No set rule can be given that would serve for 
authority on just how little or how much the writing- 
line should be broken—this must depend upon the 
individual, his tastes in the matter of writing, and 
upon the amount of freedom he is able to exercise 
in handling the pen. It can be said, however, that 
the writer who lifts his pen only occasionally when 
performing ordinary work, usually resorts to the 
practice considerably more when the script is more 
compact than his customary style. He finds that the 
privilege allows him greater freedom with the pen; 
also, that the compact style is much more legible when 
there are plenty of breaks between the letters. 

As the correct handling of each and every char¬ 
acter has been given separate attention in the pages 
that follow, it is hardly necessary at the present time 
to go further into detail upon these particular points. 
In what has already been said with respect to small 
o, c, and a few of the others, the intention is merely 
to imply that whenever the execution of any char¬ 
acter is made easier by lifting the pen and approach¬ 
ing at an angle differing from the ordinary style, it 
is allowable to take such advantage; although a 

30 


“choppy” appearance given to the writing is not 
meant to be encouraged. 

When any of these points of advantage are viewed 
as affecting the characters singly, the time that is 
gained through the adoption of these devices, which 
border* so closely on sleight of hand, may be some 
readers seem inconsiderable; or, allowing the most, 
too nearly infinitesimal to serve in any way as an aid. 
But those inclined to be skeptical must bear in mind 
that this is a treatise dealing with a fine art—a very 
fine one. If handwriting were on a larger scale— 
for example, if it dealt with characters of about 
blackboard size or larger—then would the advantage 
of all these “tricks of the trade” be more apparent; 
and, without a doubt, the use of them, if not gener¬ 
ally adopted, would be considerably more resorted to 
by every one who wields a quill. 


31 


THE ALPHABET 

TN THE choice of an arrangement for the follow- 
ing lessons, it has been decided that treating the 
different characters in their alphabetical order is a 
plan which, in a treatise of this kind, should serve 
all purposes quite as well as any other scheme that 
might be adopted; and as there are several points 
concerning the proper handling of the letter a that 
tend to attach more importance to this character than 
is the case with many of the others, its assignment 
to first place is probably no less than where its ex¬ 
position properly belongs. 

Excepting the letters d, g, and q, which in form 
begin nearly the same, the lower case a offers a some¬ 
what better opportunity for making use of the opera¬ 
tor’s sleight of hand in writing than is found in almost 
any other letter of the alphabet; and so, with a view 
to having the student start in the right direction, it 
is believed advisable to dissect and treat the initial 
letter somewhat more extensively than any of the 
others—it should follow in consequence that very 
much of what is learned pertaining to the execution 
of one of the most important characters, will be of 
considerable benefit whenever the same principles are 
to be applied elsewhere. 

An ordinary lower case a is first shown with ar¬ 
rows indicating the features that tend to keep this 
style of the letter from harmonizing with the teleg¬ 
rapher’s way of writing; and, next, the telegrapher’s 
a which illustrates the manner in which the undesir¬ 
able features are eliminated—a form of the letter 


32 


which might well be termed the “undershot style.” 
In the first example the letter begins with a left curve 



and comes to a positive stop at the top. The first curve 
is then retraced about half its length, and, when the 
body of the letter is formed, the line is again carried 
to the same point at the top where it comes to a 
second positive stop. Next, the line is carried down¬ 
ward with a backward slant before it is allowed to 
travel forward towards the finish or the next letter 
whenever one happens to follow. 

In the telegraphic style, it can be observed that the 
initial stroke is a right, not a left curve, so that.when 
a circular movement towards the left is employed, 
it is not found necessary to check the movement of 
the pen before it is brought to the top of the letter 
the second time; and, with the next downward move¬ 
ment, the line is slanted forward instead of backward. 
Following this design, the operator finds it possible 
to construct the letter with the elimination of one 
positive stop and one unnecessary backward trip; and, 
at the same time, to complete the entire construction 
without the interruption of his favorite circular move¬ 
ment of the hand, which is always towards the left. 


33 



It is just these little economies in time and effort 
which, insignificant as they may appear, enable the 
telegrapher penman to construct the letter with a 
saving in time of about one half; also, since the pen 
starts in a forward direction after leaving the top 
of the letter the last time, it is more easily swung 
into the letter following than is the case where the 
backward slant is employed before making the lower 
turn at the finish. 

In a foregoing paragraph the reader’s attention 
has been called to the fact that in many instances the 
saving in time and effort that the operators are known 
to take advantage of in their way of writing is so small 
as to be almost indiscernible, and in one way of hand¬ 
ling the lower case a there is found a very fair example 
of this singularity, the explanation of which is as 
follows: It is frequently noticeable that in the hand¬ 
ling of this letter, there is a tendency to keep the 
body of the construction quite flat; that is, all the 
curves that go together to give the letter form, are 
kept as nearly horizontal as can be done consistently 
without impairing the legibility. The advantage of 
this is due to the fact that the forward movement of 
the pen is not so much arrested when the curves in 
the letter are described longitudinally with the writ¬ 
ing line as when the direction is turned and the 
curves run more perpendicularly, as is obviously 
necessary when the character is built on more of a 
“stand up” plan. The plate gives a few examples 
that illustrate the manner in which the build of small 
a is affected, depending upon the direction from 
which the pen approaches. 


34 


Another feature in connection with a that is of 
considerable importance, not only on account of its 
appearance here, but because of its frequent applica¬ 
tion in other places, has concern with the starting 
stroke, which, to those not giving the matter thought, 
may at first seem somewhat superfluous. Consider¬ 
ing that one of the principles of this style of writ¬ 
ing is to dispense with nearly all lines that are not 
absolutely necessary, the question might arise as to 
why this apparently unnecessary stroke is used at 
all, especially when a chances to be the beginning 
letter of a word and at which times it would seem 
that starting the letter at the top, like capital a, 
would cover all demands. It is here necessary to call 
attention to the fact that before any letter can be 
described in any location, the pen must necessarily 
“come from somewhere;” and as the hand is usually 
in motion before actually carrying the pen into the 
letter, the beginning stroke is no more than the course 
over which the pen would travel were it not allowed 
to touch the writing surface before reaching the point 
at the top; consequently, nothing would be saved in 
effort were this line not to be described; it is merely 
the course over which the hand carries the pen when 
swinging it into position for the beginning proper. 

There is no great difference between the small and 
the capital a except in size; the capital, however, must 
stand up more than the smaller letter so as not to 
occupy too much line space. Where one prefers, 
the capital may be started from the bottom with a 
right curve, like the lower case letter, but the most 
common way is to begin this letter with the down- 
35 


ward stroke from the top. It is not the purpose of 
these lessons to attempt a change in any of the teleg¬ 
rapher’s letter forms—that would be an impossibil¬ 
ity—however, he has a somewhat common fault with 
capital a, which will undoubtedly always stand—that 
of making the letter too full at the bottom. 

When making capitals, the full arm movement can 
be brought into play to some extent, but, as stated 
in the remarks on position, the operator’s full arm 
movement does not require that the top of the wrist 
should be kept level—enough arm movement to serve 
his purpose can be exercised without holding the fore¬ 
arm positively flat. 

B 

In the execution of small b or any other loop letter, 
the hand is required to move over just enough space 
to necessitate exercising a little movement in the low¬ 
er arm, but hardly a full arm swing need be used, 
such as is frequently brought into play in the execution 
of certain capitals. Since the elbow is kept in a 
position well in advance of the point of the pen, a 
side movement of the hand will carry the line in a 
direction at nearly right angles with the base line; 
therefore, the loops are easiest executed with just 
a little side-rocking movement of the hand. At the 
bottom of b, however, beginning from about where 
the loop crosses itself when the line is brought down¬ 
ward, the circular twist which finishes the letter 
should be executed entirely with the fingers. Notice 
that from where the line turns at the top of the loop, 
the pen immediately begins “tacking” in a forward 
direction, and that the bottom turn, instead of being 


36 


pointed, is full and round. The little horizontal line 
at the finish is made, not with an abrupt stop and a 
retrace, but with a small reversed loop, which way 
of execution eliminates anything like a check in the 
movement. The general build of the letter is vertical. 



Before much can be said concerning capitals like 
B, it is necessary to give some attention to the capital 
stem—the curve which, owing to its importance, 
might properly be termed the “backbone” of all styles 
of written capitals; although writers of more cul¬ 
tured taste usually prefer to mention it as “the line of 
beauty.” In written capitals the importance of this 
line compares very closely with what the principal 
straight line means to the alphabet of printed capi¬ 
tals; consequently, the penman's success with the 
greater part of the capital letters can depend very 
much upon just how well he learns to handle this 
master stroke. In the slanting style the capital stem 
is probably the hardest to master, but in the rail¬ 
road style the line is so simplified that there are really 
no reasons why the principle should seem so very 
difficult; and for one who takes enough interest in 


37 



writing to practice the line occasionally, there is 
positively no chance for failure. 

By referring to the example shown, it can be ob¬ 
served that the build of the main downward stroke 
is vertical, and that where the lower end is not carried 
round into a flourish, both ends are curved to the 
same extent. While the capital stem may not appear 
to be shaped exactly the same at all times, the ap¬ 
parent change in form is due considerably to the shape 
of whatever letter chances to be built up around it. 
As a rule, there should be little variation in its form, 
regardless of whatever letter it forms a part. 

The second style shown illustrates how the stem 
should be formed when just a little flourish is added 
to the basic principle; and as this is practically the 
only necessary flourish in the entire alphabet, those 
who desire to write a reasonably fair railroad hand 
will do well to master it—the penmanship results will 
prove well worth the task. The average telegrapher 
makes no attempt at keeping his flourishes horizon¬ 
tal as is required in the ornamental style—the speed 
of his writing does not allow the side rocking of the 
hand to be interrupted enough for that—but pains 
should be taken to have the flourish outline nearly 
a perfect oval, which means that both sides should 
be evenly curved. 

A nicely written capital adds wonderfully to the 
appearance of the writing that immediately follows 
—this may be either the remainder of the word in 
which it occurs or an entire line of writing. This 
feature, however, may not always be entirely due to 
the slightly illusional effect, for where the penman 


38 


begins a sentence with a capital that is creditably 
well formed, his success that far frequently has a 
tendency towards spurring him into an attempt at 
doing as well with the entire line or even more. 

When making the common capital B, the operator 
strays no great way from the ordinary style, except 
from the vertical build given to the character and 
the tendency that is always shown to place the capital 
stem somewhat nearer the center of the construc¬ 
tion than is customary with other styles; this, how¬ 
ever, has the effect of improving the legibility rather 
than destroying it. Too frequently the capital B like 
the first example is ruined by a poor capital stem; 
the fault in this respect usually being due to beginning 
this master stroke from the wrong direction—so that 
it points a little backward instead of forward at the 
top, and at which times it is not a capital stem at all. 
Refer to the illustration and observe the gre^t differ¬ 
ence that is made in the appearance of the character 
through merely handling the capital stem in the right 
and the wrong way. The little flourish at the finish 
of the completed letter is not different from the one 
frequently used with the capital stem, excepting that 
it is attached to a different curve. 

The third example, which is the favorite with 
many, does not contain a capital stem. The down¬ 
ward stroke is simply brought to a stop at the bottom, 
and the letter then finished practically the same as 
the other style. The student will do best who uses 
either one form or the other—the capital B that is 
only a “go-between” the two is not a good one. 

In the smaller plate, the first capital B shown is 


39 


simple enough, but the style is one that is not so easy 
to have well made as it apears. The common error 



in the handling of this form is in having the back, 
or upward stroke, curved outward instead of straight, 
and this gives the completed letter a clumsy—or, as 
we may say, an untutored appearance. The more 
rapid the writing, the more difficulty does the pen¬ 
man experience in keeping the upward stroke straight 
enough to have the letter look its best, but the trouble 
is easily circumvented by starting with a downward 
stroke—see third example—and the letter is again 
transformed into a style that is the same as the third 
example in the larger plate, and the bad effects of the 
outward bend of the back are removed. Note that 
the second and third examples are the same in form 
except from the downward stroke in the latter. 

C 

The operator’s c is probably best described when 
termed as the “old fashioned style,” but as the con¬ 
struction conforms in every way with the “Railroad 
Fist” principles of writing and stands far in the lead 
when considered from a viewpoint of legibleness, there 
are very good reasons why the “ops” have adopted 
this particular form of the letter. The ordinary way 
of making c is to begin with a left curve, like common 


40 



a, and, after the pen is brought to a positive stop 
at the top, to retrace the line for a part of its length 
before the last right curve is executed. The opera¬ 
tor's c begins at the bottom with a right instead of 
a left curve, which is carried into a little loop in the 
center, after which the line is carried into the outline 
part of the letter without checking the swing of the 
pen. The beginning right curve is not superfluous, 
for, like in a, it is merely the course that is followed 
by the pen when it approaches the construction. 
When the arm movement is brought into play in the 
execution of any of the small letters or in traveling 
the hand along the writing line, it is mostly in the 
execution of this beginning right curve that such 
movement is exercised, while the remainder of the 
letter, usually its greatest part, is finished with the 
circling movement of the hand and fingers. 



Both styles of capital C are used in the telegraphic 
hand, the old style round-hand C, which begins like 
small l, and the plain, or business hand capital C, the 
latter having the preference. With the round-hand 
style there is little deviation from the regular form 
except from its vertical build; but when the business 
hand style is used, it is not the practice to carry the 
lower turn at the finish so far around as is custom¬ 
ary among penmen of the writing-book class. In- 


41 



stead, this curve is usually terminated at about the 
time it reaches the base line, and the effort that is 
ordinarily employed in carrying the line farther, is 
utilized in forming a part of the letter following. 
Note the handling of capital C in “car.” In this 
instance the action employed can well be termed a 
“throw,” and this in another way accounts for the 
operator’s finishing this style at the base line—a little 
experimenting will readily prove that when the action 
of a throw is exercised, the effort becomes spent when 
the line reaches the lowest point in the turn; and when 
an attempt is made to carry the line upward again, 
its accomplishment is found to require an additional 
effort. 

D 

Lower case d except from its upward extension, is 
fashioned after a plan that is identical with that of 
small a; therefore, all the short-cuts of advantage 
that have been discussed in the exposition of the 
latter mentioned character are likewise applicable to 
small d. This letter, however, is not without a few 
individual characteristics, the most important of 
which are as follows: The upward extension, or 
standard, which is nearly vertical, should be made 
quite tall and rarely if ever looped. While such 
features appear insignificant, one cannot afford to 
look upon them with too little concern, for the legible¬ 
ness of the written word necessarily depends on the 
correctness of the letters of which it is composed. 
For instance, when considering d, it is observed that 
its legibleness depends greatly on the handling of the 
upward extension—it should be made tall enough to 


42 


stand out distinguishably from all letters of one space; 
and, when not looped, it cannot be confused with el, 
cl, nor any other combination of the properly looped 
letters. When correctly handled it will speak “d,” 
and nothing else. Those not adverse to the practice 
of pen lifting, frequently treat d very much as they 
do small o; that is, the pen is lifted at the top of the 
standard, circled around to the left and not replaced 
until beginning the next letter or word that follows. 



Capital D, like B, begins with the pure and simple 
capital stem. When the loop at the lower end of the 
stem is formed, the line, for exactness, should be car¬ 
ried forward across the stem so as to form the cross at 
the highest point in the horizontal curve—the best ap¬ 
pearance of capital D depends more than the average 
penman supposes upon this seemingly trivial feature. 
It is better not to use that freakish style of capital D 
which extends below the base line and which, when 
finished, looks very much like the figure 8. It is to 
be admitted that there is possibly a slight advantage 
in so distorting the construction of this capital since 
joining the letter to the rest of the word of which it 
forms a part is, perhaps, accomplished somewhat 


43 



easier by having its top down on a level with the lower 
case letter that follows; but, when this style is used, the 
appearance of the writing is so grossly impaired as to 
result in a loss that is greater than the gain. When 
capital D is not joined to any character following, the 
outline is usually made larger than when other¬ 
wise handled, and the pen in its course ahead is lifted 
and carried forward just under the completed letter. 

E 

Little need be said respecting small e; although, 
when not correctly handled, this letter as well as any 
other can do much towards destroying the character¬ 
istic appearance of the telegraphic script. The plain 
and simple little e is the one best conforming with the 
principles of the style—the use of the capital form 
for a lower case e is not a general practice except 
in such places as occur when the line, so to speak, 
is brought down from “overhead,” as is frequently 
the case when small e follows a capital. The two 
little curlicues used in constructing an e of the capital 
style, are in all respects the same as two e’s of the 
simpler form, excepting that the loops extend hor¬ 
izontally instead of vertically; therefore, it is obvious 
that time and energy can be wasted in forming two 
such loops where one should suffice. 



44 



Capital E, as a rule, is not joined to the word in 
which it occurs, although the practice of so handling 
is not at all out of order where the penman considers 
this to be the easiest way; it is merely a matter of 
lifting the pen or allowing it to trail. Where the line 
is disconnected, the letter following is usually set a 
little closer to the E than is the practice at other times 
—crowded writing is kept more legible by a frequent¬ 
ly broken line. 

Because the entire letter is made with the operator’s 
favorite movement towards the left, a noticeable loop 
is usually formed in the center—this loop should not 
be too large. For best effect in legibleness, the up¬ 
per and lower parts should be of about equal size; 
and, except from being reversed, they should bear 
close resemblance in form. 

F 

All the principles that are applied in the execution 
of the lower case b are found to be practically the 
same in small f, except that the lower part of f is 
more elongated. The first example shown is the form 
most commonly used; the second appeals more to 
those of the “elite class.” The latter style is by no 
means an easy one—it rarely if ever looks right where 
' the penman “draws” the form. The design seem- 
inly is better suited for those who naturally write 
rapidly and well and with a quick and snappy action 
of the fingers. Although the back of the plainer 
style is considerably curved outward, the general 
build is usually vertical excepting when the starting 
point is more or less above the base line, and at which 
times it is allowable to lean the top loop forward to 


45 


a certain extent. This way of forming the letter 
does not necessitate changing the movement so 
abruptly from a forward to a vertical direction. It 
should be mentioned here that it is not allowable to 
bend the loops of b, l, and k forward so much as is 
frequently the practice in the handling of / and h. 
Such treatment of the first mentioned letters gives 
them too much of a tangled appearance, and this 
destroys their legibleness more than is the case with 
the other loop characters. 



Capital F for many persons seems to be something 
of a “J ona li,” but when once mastered, the penman 
has also accomplished as much with capital T. Not 
only is the form somewhat difficult, but considering 
that the letter must be started with a movement which 
circles towards the right instead of the left, the ac¬ 
tion becomes a little awkward for those who are con¬ 
firmed in the telegrapher's way of writing. Imme¬ 
diately after forming the loop at the top, the line 
forward should incline downward to a considerable 
extent until brought to a positive stop at the top of 
the capital stem. The capital stem part of the con¬ 
struction is given little or no forward bend at the top, 


46 




but is finished with the regulation flourish at the bot¬ 
tom. While capital F can as well be built on tall and 
narrow lines, the broader design seems to be some¬ 
what the favorite. The letter is not so legible when 
crossed with either the finishing end of the flourish 
or with a line that is carried into the writing that 
follows—it should be crossed with a disconnected line 
in a manner that is identical with the crossing of 
small t. 

There is one particular form of this capital—see 
second example—which is now generally taught in 
business schools, and which, in being simple and 
legible, has features that it seems should appeal more 
than they do to the telegraphers’ notions in regard 
to writing; but there apparently is an avoidance of the 
style which perhaps is due to no more than the fact 
that its execution requires a circular action that is 
towards the right instead of the left. Those who 
practice writing exercises to such an extent that 
circling the pen in either direction is comparatively 
easy, have learned that the form referred to is in¬ 
deed very practical; and, taking into consideration 
that the style of capital F that is so generally used 
among the operators can hardly be considered an 
easier one, it is the opinion of the author that if the 
more up-to-date style were given just a little try-out, 
its use would soon be adopted by many of those who 
are always on the lookout for what is best. This form 
of the letter is not introduced here as correctly belong¬ 
ing to the Railroad Fist style; it is merely offered 
as a suggestion to those who experience the common 
difficulty with capital F. 


47 


G 


Small g, like a , should be started with a right curve, 
but after making the beginning loop, it is hardly 
necessary to carry the line to the top of the letters 
a second time before changing the course of the pen 
at the point where the lower loop begins. Get started 
on the downward extension quickly as possible after 
forming the first little loop—like e, except more slant¬ 
ed—but try not to be in a hurry so great as to neglect 
making at least a little shoulder in the line before 
carrying it downward. Too much “cutting the cor¬ 
ner” at this joining causes the completed letter to look 
very much like the figure 8 and impairs the appear¬ 
ance of the writing. The telegrapher’s best lower 
case g is little less than a miniature capital—note that 
in the word “Gage” there is little difference between 
the two g’s except in size. In the exposition of small 
a, attention has been called to the advantage in keep¬ 
ing the body well laid down. The same principles 
apply to the top part of small g; and when the oval 
is made more horizontal than perpendicular, it is ob¬ 
servable that there is little occasion for carrying the 
line more than just a little above the base line previous 
to executing the lower loop. 



In what is probably an attempt at giving the writ¬ 
ing a “Railroad Fist” appearance, telegraphers of 


48 



the student class who are entirely unacquainted with 
the principles of the method, frequently resort to the 
erroneous practice of twisting some of the letter 
forms out of shape more than necessity demands, 
which results in a waste of time and effort without 
a gain of the slightest advantage. In connection with 
such errors, which in every instance are not always 
confined to the “greenhorns,” the writer has in mind 
more particularly the distortions that are frequently 
imposed upon the lower loop letters, g and y, which 
characters, when subjected to such treatment, are 
made with long and bended loops which extend al¬ 
together too far backward. However, as an aid in 
gaining the utmost facility in writing, there is some 
occasion for just a slight bending of these loops, but 
the extent of this should be governed entirely by the 
location of the letter in the word, and by the location 
of the beginning point of the letter following. The 
principle applying here is that the loop should be 
so formed that its finishing stroke can be the sweep 
into whatever character chances to follow—the finish 
of one and the beginning of the next should be 
described by a nearly straight line. When these 
loop letters occur in any part of a word except the end, 
it is hardly necessary to bend them backward any 
more than is the practice in ordinary writing; but 
when they occur at the end of a word, as g and y 
so frequently do, the loops are necessarily bent back¬ 
ward somewhat farther so that the finishing stroke 
can incline towards a point that is farther in advance; 
the degree, of course, depending on the amount of 
space between the words. 


49 


The principles of capital G are much the same as 
for the smaller letter, although, as a rule, the be¬ 
ginning loop of the capital is not given so much of 
a forward slant. Owing to the position in which the 
average telegrapher holds his pen, and because he 
depends so much for motion upon a side-rocking move¬ 
ment of the hand, it is easier for him to make up¬ 
ward and downward strokes than to execute lines 
running parallel to the base line—the latter require 
more of that awkward extending and retracting 
movement of the fingers—consequently, his capitals 
are not usually very wide. Capital G is a fair example 
showing the operator’s preference for capitals of a 
narrow build. 

H 

While it is obvious that a loop cannot be formed 
without carrying the pen in a backward direction in 
some quarter of its construction, there is an easier 
way of executing letters like h than by carrying the 
line backward as far as desired at the end of the 
loop and finishing the character with a straight back. 
In a paragraph above, it has been shown that the 
execution of the lower loops is rendered easiest when 
so constructed that the upward stroke can be utilized 
as a perfect lead into the letter following. The easiest 
handling of the upward loops is somewhat reversed. 
Here, the line running into the loop, instead of the 
one coming out, is inclined to the most convenient 
angle—the degree in this instance depending upon 
the angle from which the line approaches the loop in¬ 
stead of the one to which it is carried. It is allowable to 
lean the h forward more than b; but, after reaching 


50 


the end of the loop, the line is not swung down and 
forward so much as in the latter letter, because bring¬ 
ing the pen to a positive stop at the bottom inter¬ 
feres with the forward swing. A tendency is some¬ 
times shown to lean the h!s forward considerably more 
than license would demand; but when handled cor¬ 
rectly, neither / nor h will be “humped” to any greater 
extent than the amount that is sanctioned by the line 
leading into the loops. 

In brief, the lean of / and h should be governed by a 
principle—not by a fancy. 



When one has mastered the capital stem, there is 
little chance to experience trouble with either capital 
H or K. Both are begun in practically the same way, 
except that the line leading to the top of the capital 
stem is not usually made quite so long in the K as it is 
in the H. This feature has nothing to do with the 
execution of either letter, and whether it is given strict 
observance is of no particular consequence; but where 
the penman condescends to humor the handling in this 
respect, the best appearance of the two letters is 
brought out to a somewhat better advantage. 

A very easy and legible style of capital K, which 
has proved itself fully as much a favorite as any 
other, is shown as the initial after H. For all round 
practicability it is a hard one to beat, l 



I 

Owing to the simplicity of the lower case i, very 
little special instruction concerning it need be written; 
however, the little there is to a call attention to should 
be considered equally important with whatever has 
been said concerning some of the more complicated 
constructions. Just a little up-and-down movement of 
the fingers is all that is necessary to produce the i, 
—not even the slightest rocking of the hand is re¬ 
quired. There should be no backward slant in the 
downward stroke—immediately after leaving the top, 
the line in its downward course should be started in 
a forward direction so as to sweep into whatever 
letter chances to follow. 

An examination of the different specimens of hand¬ 
writing in this book will disclose a few instances 
where the Vs have been dotted with little circles in¬ 
stead of dots. This has been done to illustrate a 
characteristic—not to indicate an essential; however, 
considering that the practice of so dotting the Vs is 
somewhat more prevalent among the telegraphers 
than elsewhere, especially in the young set, the subject 
is deserving of consideration here, and those who look 
to minutest details are entitled to find the subject dis¬ 
cussed to some extent in this lesson. 

The writer considers the use of the circle dot as 
somewhat faddish—too much so to be employed in 
strictly business writing. Dispatchers, train-masters, 
superintendents and higher officials, who have reached 
their various stations through promotion from the 
operators' ranks, are rarely if ever observed cling¬ 
ing to the circle-dot habit; although, at sometime dur- 


52 


ing their telegraphic career, the most of them un¬ 
doubtedly passed through that stage where the “op” 
cannot imagine his penmanship as looking like the 
“real stuff” when it is not adorned here and there with 
more or less such decoration. 

Among those who take the greatest interest in the 
peculiar chirography of the telegraphers, there occa¬ 
sionally arises a discussion as to why so many of 
those who have won a reputation for themselves 
through their ability as penmen should resort to the 
practice of using these little circles to so great an 
extent where it seems that simple dots should suffice, 
or even be entirely better; and, while the requirements 
for speed are not so great in any other profession 
where the work is performed with a pen, yet the prac¬ 
tice is never so much in evidence in any other style of 
writing. One who has never given the matter thought 
would undoubtedly be considerably surprised to learn 
of just how many different theories on the subject 
have been advanced at one time and another; but the 
exact reasons for the operators toleration in this 
respect is rarely if ever satisfactorily explained. 

Writers versed in graphology, or the study of char¬ 
acter reading from handwriting, say that the circle 
dot is found mostly in the handwritings of those hav¬ 
ing considerable love for beauty. This is possibly true 
as far as it goes; but, even though the telegraphers' 
class undoubtedly includes as many “beauty lovers” 
as can be found in any other profession—and that eye 
for beauty possibly not always confined strictly to 
penmanship—the writer, while agreeing to some ex- 
53 


tent with the graphologists, is also inclined to assign 
a few reasons other than “love of beauty” for this 
peculiar trait of the railroad penman. 

As previously stated, it is the novice who, owing 
to an observance of that adage with regard to do¬ 
ing as the Romans do, is most likely to over-reach 
himself in the matter of touching up his writing with 
the circle dot; however, owing to perfectly natural 
reasons, there are two other explanations as to why 
the circle-dot habit should be more prevalent among 
the operators than elsewhere: First, as stated under 
another heading, it is not in accordance with the 
principles of the Railroad Fist to allow the pen to 
come to a positive stop whenever it can be avoided. 
The quickness with which the telegrapher penman 
forms his letters and words, allows him to copy 
“ordinary sending” with time to spare; but, whenever 
it becomes necessary for him to do any waiting, he 
is usually observed to occupy the time by keeping his 
pen in motion with a little circular movement of the 
hand. He does this for the reason that, when start¬ 
ing anew after each little check in the actual writing, 
he finds it an easier way to generate the exactly right 
action for continuing than would be the case were he 
to attempt the same performance from a standing 
start. Now, in the matter of dotting his i J s the opera¬ 
tor feels no more inclination to check the circular 
movement of his hand for this purpose than he does 
for any other; consequently, he is very likely to turn 
the trick every now and then by using the little circles, 
since their execution does not necessitate bringing the 
pen to a positive stop. 


54 


Where the writing is crowded to any extent, there 
is, if the circle dot is used promiscuously, a likeli¬ 
hood of errors occurring because of the circles be¬ 
coming entangled with neighboring letters or figures 
—this means, of course, when the circles are made 
larger than necessary and not correctly placed. There 
is record of many instances where railway companies, 
for the sake of safety, have issued instructions to 
their employees prohibiting the use of the circle dot 
in train orders; and yet, this is no less than the second 
place where there seems a somewhat reasonable ex¬ 
cuse for resorting to the practice. Here, it is usually 
necessary for the operator to produce several copies 
in manifold by placing carbon sheets between a re¬ 
quired number of the train-order leaves; but, if the 
copies are numerous and the carbons not fresh, the 
impression of the stylus will not penetrate satisfac¬ 
torily to the lowest copies unless the point of the stylus 
is “dragged” just a little upon the surface of the top 
copy. When the i is dotted by merely touching the 
writing surface with the stylus, the top copy is usually 
about the only one to show that a dot has actually 
been made; but where the circle dot is used, owing 
to a little drag of the stylus being exercised in its 
making, the dotted i's are found to print plainly 
through all the copies exactly the same as does any 
other part of the writing. For the same reason little 
crosses are sometimes used for periods. 

A nice execution of any capital letter requires very 
much the same mind effort that one exercises when 
pronouncing correctly a long or difficult word—the 
word, in being spoken, must be handled in the mind 


55 


in parts and pronounced by syllables; likewise, any 
character in writing to be well executed must be 



learned, not as a whole, but by the parts or principles 
that combine in building up its complete construction. 
There are really no reasons why capital I should be 
a very difficult letter; yet, aside from the experts, 
penmen are few who make their capital Fs as nearly 
correct as they write almost any other capital. 

The telegrapher’s capital I differs somewhat from 
the copy-book style, but is really no more difficult when 
taken in the right way; that is, its construction con¬ 
sidered by the elementary principles. 

The capital proper starts from a little below the 
center; however, the pen is not usually placed in the 
middle and moved from a standing start, but is car¬ 
ried in and out with a swing which, owing to the 
trailing of the pen upon the writing surface, naturally 
forms a beginning loop. After the point at the top 
is reached, the letter is finished with the simple capi¬ 
tal stem. 

j 

Two reasons can be given why not much need 
necessarily be said of small j : first, because of its 
simplicity; second, because of the infrequency with 
which the character occurs in ordinary usage. If 


56 



just a little effort is made to apply the principles that 
should be known to the reader who has followed the 
lessons thus far, little difficulty will be experienced 
with this simple construction. The loop should be 
handled in accordance with the instructions pertain¬ 
ing to small g —the backward slant depending upon 
how far the pen must be carried ahead in order to 
reach the beginning point of the next letter or word. 



Capital / is no more nor less than an elongated I 
having its center located on or just a little above the 
base line. Also like capital /, the style with the point¬ 
ed top stands more in favor than the oval form; 
probably because of being a narrower construction. 

In either case capital / usually begins with the re¬ 
versed loop at the center. 

K (See plate H) 

Even among the best railroad penmen, there is con¬ 
siderable variance in the manner of handling small 
k; therefore, the selection of a form that can be 
offered as somewhat close to a standard is a matter 
not so easily decided as has been the case with many 
of the other characters. The most popular style is 
probably the one so nearly like the capital form—see 
first example, made similar to first capital—but on 
account of its loose construction the style requires that 


57 




the handling be somewhat careful; otherwise, it is not 
so legible as the more common design. When k is 
begun with a loop, no matter which style is employed, 
it is not allowable to bend the loop forward in the 
manner found so convenient in the handling of 
/ and h. When k is subjected to this treatment, it 
is found that, owing to too much crisscross construc¬ 
tion, the legibility of the letter is very much im¬ 
paired. 

The handling of capital K has been discussed with 
capital H. 

L 

In reality, small / is no more than an elongated e. 
The build of the letter should be very nearly vertical, 
and both front and back of the loop should curve to 
about the same extent—this scheme leaves it possible 
to get into the loop and out again while opposing the 
minimum of inertial resistance. As with k, the loop 
of / cannot be given much forward bend. When so 
treated the letter looks overbalanced; but “bend,” 
remember, is different from slant. 



The most common style of capital L shows, as has 
been mentioned in the exposition of capital G, that the 
operator has no scruples against running his lines up 
and down to any reasonable length, but he seems 


58 



quite adverse to the practice of taking up any more 
than necessary space with lines running from left 
to right. Like capital G, the L is made quite narrow, 
but is usually slanted a little more than the first men¬ 
tioned letter. Except from being reversed in posi¬ 
tion, the upper and lower loops are usually very much 
the same. Frequently a tendency is shown to handle 
the lower flourish of capital L very much the same 
as the corresponding part of capital S ; but, where this 
is the practice, care should be taken to have the upper 
loop of the L begin with a horizontal instead of an 
upward sweep. 

The first example is preferred by many who sling 
a rapid quill; yet, while it is perfectly legible and has 
an “easy” appearance, to turn the lower corner in the 
manner shown is little, if any, easier than to form the 
loop in the regular way. 

M and N 

In the expositions of a, c, d, and g, it has been ex¬ 
plained that the upward left curves are not so easily 
executed as are those which bend towards the right, 
and for which reason the operator penman eliminates 
them whenever he finds it possible; but this practice 
should never be applied in the handling of m and n — 
making either of these letters with waves reversed, 
like in u, tends to destroy the legibility of writing more 
than any other bad feature that is as common, and the 
penman who is careful will be very particular in this 
respect. It is not because these characters are diffi¬ 
cult to describe that they are so frequently slighted 
in the manner shown—it is in that the required cir- 


59 


cular movement to the right is more difficult than to 
the left, especially for those who write mostly with 
the finger movement. The m’s and n’s, in order to fill 
all requirements, must show an “over” movement in 
their construction; and, when the circular movement 
to the right interferes with an easy manipulation of 
the pen, the proper effect can be obtained by employ¬ 
ing a waving movement of the fingers which can be 
worked in unison with the hand as it carries the pen 
along its course from left to right. While the opera¬ 
tor’s m’s and n's do not slant, yet, as a rule, the down¬ 
ward strokes do not carry the pen quite so great a 
distance forward as do the lines running upward, 
although the last downward stroke in either letter 
should be a quick and graceful “get away.” 


7 ? IT) f) Jr 


In the selection of either capital M or N, there is 
a somewhat larger variety from which to make a 
choice than is the case with almost any of the other 
capitals. 

Not many rapid penmen, however, are inclined to 
confine themselves to the use of any particular one 
of the different styles illustrated; and as none of the 
forms possess any particular advantage over the 


60 




others, there is a noticeable tendency to humor the 
fancy when we come to the M's and N's -—to find two 
different styles used on the same sentence, or even 
in the same word, is not at all uncommon. 

From a standpoint of being typical, the second 
style shown is probably nearest to the operator’s ideal 
—its use among this class of penmen is very general, 
although it is a style that is very seldom seen in any 
other style of writing; that is, as it is handled by the 
telegraphers. The first style is no less a favorite, 
especially among those who prefer a style that can 
be joined with and ran smoothly into the rest of the 
word without disconnecting the line. The M and N 
of this type are in reality nothing more than enlarge¬ 
ments of the lower case m and n; although when 
used they are usually favored with a little more slant 
than is customarily given to the lower case letters. 

The third pair are also considerably used, but not to 
the extent that are either of the others—the N, as a 
rule, stands more in favor than the M. Where this 
style is used, the M requires more careful handling 
than does the N —careless handling of the M is likely 
to give it the appearance of capital U. To guard 
against this, the capital stem, which in this instance 
begins at the bottom, should be given considerable of 
the compound-curve effect by starting well out from 
the bottom of the letter and turning a little forward 
at the top. The N also looks better when handled 
carefully in this respect, although a little deviation 
from exactness does not so seriously affect it legible¬ 
ness. 


61 


o 

The author has at hand for critical study many best 
specimens of the “Railroad Fist” from all parts of 
the country, but this budget does not reveal that there 
are more than a very few of the veterans who use 
the style of lower case o that is usually taught in the 
schools. Under “Principles” attention is called to 
the fact that whenever the construction of any char¬ 
acter requires that the pen should be brought to a 
single point a second time, it is usually found easier 
when making the second trip to lift the pen and circle 
around to the desired point, rather than reverse the 
motion and retrace. This feature becomes particu¬ 
larly evident in the handling of small o —very few 
of the handiest class go into the letter from one direc¬ 
tion and “right-about” before coming out in another. 
Some more than others cut the o's entirely separate 
from the rest of the writing, but when this is the case, 
the object in lifting the pen is either to avoid an 
interruption of the rotary movement of the hand, 
or to eliminate some angular joining which is found 
too difficult for the rapid penman to attempt. It is 
obvious that when o is made separate, no more effort 
is required to form the letter than to dot an i with the 
little circle (See lower case i), and usually very nluch 
is added to the legibility of the writing when the letter 
o is handled in this way. 

Except when followed by one of the lower loop let¬ 
ters, capital O, like the lower case letter, is not usually 
connected to the rest of the word in which it occurs. 
The best operator’s capital O is nearly a perfect oval, 
proportioned about the same as a printed 0 —slightly 
62 


broader if anything—and slanted just a trifle. Many 
penmen who write with remarkable speed execute 



their capital O’s with great dexterity, cutting them 
out with little swings of the hand practically as one 
ordinarily makes a cipher; and the joinings, which 
are at the upper left quarter, are made so neat that 
the finished O looks to be an endless line. 

Capital Q is treated identically as is capital O. 
The cyma, or curlicue, which completes the letter, 
should be made separate and given a compound curve. 
The old-fashioned capital Q, made like figure 2, is 
very seldom used by the operators—not only on ac¬ 
count of not being so legible as the printed style, but 
mostly because its making requires a circling move¬ 
ment that is towards the right. 

P 

Two common styles of small p are shown: The 
second which may be termed the “ordinary,” is 
probably the most used. The first, owing to its close 
resemblance to the printed letter, fis a favorite with 
many, although the most careful penmen use it spar¬ 
ingly except where followed by the loop letters h or l. 
A third form—see in “Operator,” exposition of O — 
is practically the same as the second example con¬ 
sidered here, except from the downward turn at the 


63 



finish. It is used to a great extent where the writing 
is compact or crowded. 



The first style is the only one showing any back¬ 
ward turn in the line, this being in the loop just be¬ 
fore the finish. While very legible, this style is not so 
practical as either of the others when the letter fol¬ 
lowing it is of such form as to interfere with carrying 
the line up and forward from the lower turn in the 
loop. If handled right, the style is nicely used before 
a, o, or any upper loop letter; but when e, i, r, or u 
come immediately after, either of the other styles 
is more adaptable to the rapid penman’s use. 

Frequently the main downward stroke of p turns 
slightly forward as the line is carried towards the 
lower end. This is due to a radial course of the pen 
when the point serving to rest the hand is considered 
as the central axis. 


Q 


All principles applicable to small q have been treated 
in preceding lessons. While parts of its construction 
are similar to corresponding parts of a and f, yet a 
comparison with g requires a little more careful 
separation. In the exposition of g , it is shown that, 
when carrying the line downward into the loop, it 
is allowable to “cut the corner” to some extent, but 


64 




q cannot be so slighted— the letter does not look right 
unless the lower loop is started the right distance from 
above the base line. Make q like a as far as the second 
turn above the base line, and finish the loop like the 
lower part of /. • 



R 


Small r is usually made very much like small i, ex¬ 
cept that after leaving the apex a little wave is made in 
the downward line a trifle above the center. The 
more the writing is crowded, the more prominent must 
be the little shoulder that is formed by the wave, 
just as the angle of a drawing compass becomes more 
acute when its branches are folded closer together. 
If the writing is very compact, the r is closed up so 
that its top is nearly square-angled; but when the 
style of script is somewhat drawn out, the r settles 
down and the right side of the letter submits for most 
of the intension. This “stretching” of r should not 
be overdone, for, as before stated, when the shoulder 
is too much slighted the letter becomes too much like 
i. Many an “op” who is inclined to pride himself on 
his “mitt” is too much addicted to the habit of so 
slighting the r*s. 

Nearly all of what has been said respecting capital 
B is also applicable to the capitals P and R. The 


65 



build of both is practically vertical, and, like in B, 
the capital stem of each is kept nearer the center 



than is the practice in ordinary usage—a feature 
which adds considerably to the legibleness. Many 
prefer to lift the pen at the bottom of the capital stem 
and not replace it until starting downward a second 
time, but in either case the execution is practically the 
same. While there is nothing very difficult connected 
with any one of the three capitals, B . P, or R, yet pen¬ 
men of the ordinary class are few who do justice to 
all three of them. Even when the capital stem is to 
all appearances perfectly formed, there is usually 
some “fall-down” in connecting it up with the other 
parts of the letter. As a rule, a little attention given 
to the principles of symmetricalness as concerns the 
matter of curves would be effective in removing many 
of the faults. 

S 

Due to the fact that the writer has always been an 
ardent admirer of the best in penmanship, he feels 
somewhat bound to confess that his enthusiasm has 
never been set very much astir over one particular 
letter of the telegrapher’s alphabet, that being the 
small 

However, with the presentation of this work there 
is included a promise that every trick of the trade 


66 



shall Joe revealed—that is, as far as the field of 
knowledge and resource will allow—and so, while it 
is not at all improbable that a few of these lessons 
may be lacking in some respects, it should not be 
assumed that anything has been withheld intention¬ 
ally; therefore, due to reasons as stated, the tele¬ 
graphic style of ^ is presented just as it is usually 
handled by practically all the successful class. 

When the one who is careful with his writing be¬ 
gins his career as a telegrapher, he is sometimes in¬ 
clined to hesitate before abandoning the style of ^ 
that has been handed down to him from forefathers; 
but speed and legibility, rather than all grace and 
beauty, are the foremost requisites in the telegrapher 
penman’s cause; and so, because the advantages in 
using the of the improved style are soon apparent, 
it is usually no great while before the one who as¬ 
pires to class with the best acquiesces in the matter 
of its adoption. 

The style is not altogether an innovation originating 
among the telegraphers—it is sometimes found in the 
chirography of other classes; also, practically the same 
construction is considerably used in ordinary writ¬ 
ing as a finish to small p. 

Writing experts agree in that ^ is one of the most 
difficult letters, and there is only to admit that when 
the letter is made like the style always shown in pen¬ 
manship copy books, a great many twists and turns 
are required in order to obtain so little in the end. 
But any difficult features connected with this con¬ 
struction which may occasionally perplex the en¬ 
grosser and the fine art penman are never allowed 

67 


to interfere with the telegrapher in his race with 
speed—when he comes to *s\ he simply ignores most 
principles of the ordinary style and tears his way 
through all the obstacles with a “somersault.” It is 
not'because the operator’s is impracticable in any 
way that we feel so much aversion to the style, but 
mostly on account of its ungraceful appearance; and 
since it is usually made rather large and full, the 
even spacing of the letters among which it occurs is 
nearly always destroyed. However, like many other 
things connected with the forward rush of progress, 
it is “built for speed” and is entitled to receive here the 
same consideration that is given to any other charac¬ 
ter belonging to the improved alphabet. 

The accompanying plate, which illustrates the usual 
way of handling the shows that there is not even a 
“feint” towards pointing the construction at the top, 
and that the line at the bottom is carried in and out 
with a loop instead of a retrace. 



While capital S has an easy and graceful appear¬ 
ance, it also is, as a rule, a somewhat difficult letter— 
at least, it must be if we are to judge by the number 
of faulty examples that usually appear in ordinary 
writing. One of the foremost reasons why those 
who make no study of penmanship are likely to meet 


68 



with failure when they come to this capital, is due to 
an oversight of the fact that the construction of the 
letter includes a regulation capital stem, just as does 
capital T or any other old-style capital letter. Among 
the experts it is understood that the stem in capital S 
curves a trifle more than in other capitals, but this is 
considerably a matter of judgment depending upon 
just what style is chosen—the more slanting the up¬ 
ward stroke, the less need the stem be curved. 

Since the operator clings so determinedly to every 
principle of legibleness, he is rarely if ever observed 
to make a capital S that could in any way be mis¬ 
taken for a capital L. The trick is accomplished by 
always starting the upward stroke from a low position 
and by keeping the flourish of the stem so large as to 
have none of the “loop” appearance which it retains 
in the other capital. Observe that in the initials St. 
L. & S.” the flourish is made so large as to necessitate 
bringing the pen back to the base line with a positive 
stop, or, at least, an abrupt turn before starting the 
t —a favorite way of handling this combination. If 
the flourish were smaller and the line carried into the 
t with a compound curve, a resemblance to capital L 
could hardly be avoided. 

T 

Not much space is required in which to tell all that 
seems most important concerning small t. Like small 
d, this character is usually made rather tall and never 
looped. When t occurs before h, it is quite the practice 
to lift the pen after the standard is made, and to 
form the cross with the beginning stroke of the h; 


69 


and, where this combination is used, the h, owing to 
the high angle from which it is approached, should be 



made with the loop bending considerably forward. 
The uncrossed t, which in ordinary writing is so 
generally used at the end of words, has never stood 
much in favor among the telegraphers; probably be¬ 
cause of its being less legible than the t that is crossed 
in the regular way. The consideration in this respect 
that is usually conferred to t would suggest the fol¬ 
lowing comment: Those who intelligently handle the 
telegraphic style of chirography have usually ac¬ 
quired much of the accomplishment through constant¬ 
ly endeavoring to keep the script “as plain as print,” 
and by giving attention to many little details in con¬ 
nection with writing a perfectly legible hand other 
than merely attempting to have all letters uniform and 
well spaced. From a legibility point of view, the 
culling out of all unsuitable forms is one of the 
practices that have been considerably instrumental in 
advancing the Railroad Fist to its place so far in the 
lead. Therefore, in line with these remarks, while 
it is never advisable to actually print a character, 
especially a capital, yet, in the matter of choosing 
between two or more different styles of the same 
letter in order to obtain the greatest degree of legible- 

70 



ness, it is usually a safe plan to adopt the style nearest 
resembling the printed form. 

U and V 

When making small u, the pen should be kept wig¬ 
wagging its way forward with every movement, both 
up and down. Because the last downward stroke is 
no more than a forward sweep into whatever letter 
chances to follow, the usual tendency is to give this 
line more of a forward slant than is given to the first ; 
and while there is no particular harm in this, it is 
best however to have both downward lines slant to 
the same extent, the degree depending on whether the 
writing is openly spaced or crowded. 



Where the lower case form of u is used for the cap¬ 
ital, the initial stroke should not start from the base 
line, but from a point about half way up. This is to 
avoid too close a resemblance to capital M of a similar 
design. 

Nothing very beautiful can be claimed for the 
operator's small v, but in being perfectly legible and 
easily made it answers the purpose well. The letter 
can be started with either a right or a left curve— 
where the right curve is used, the first part of the let¬ 
ter is pointed at the top like small i. There are, of 
course, a liberal share of the “ops" who make their 


71 



small v’s without lifting the pen; but, when the great¬ 
est speed is attempted, there is hardly time for finish¬ 
ing with the horizontal stroke, such as is attached to 
the ordinary style. Lifting the pen at the finish and 
cutting the letter separate from whatever character 
chances to follow, is found to be the most practical 
way of circumventing the difficult twist. Where the 
letter is begun like small i, and the writing line is not 
disconnected at the finish, care must be exercised in 
order to keep the construction from looking too much 
like o or u. 



Except from the finishing strokes, there is little 
difference between the capitals U and V, unless the 
printed style of V is used; however, to positively 
“print” any of the capitals is hardly allowable when 
the best effect in appearance is considered—the 
contrast is too noticeable when harsh and straight lines 
are mingled here and there among so many curves. 
As stated, the simple and perfect capital V begins like 
capital U and finishes with a little reversed loop at the 
top. In U, no loop is formed where it occurs in V — 
instead, the finishing line is carried downward to the 
base line and turned forward at the bottom, so as to 
run easily into the letter following wherever such 
handling is required. 


72 



w 


The capital and the small W are made very much 
on the same plan—making them closed, or contracted, 
at the top is the exactly right way to obtain their most 
legible effect. Because small v and w are finished 
alike in ordinary writing, one would naturally suppose 
that their finishing touches could be similarly treated 
when they occur in the more rapid style, but such is not 
the case. A little experimenting will disclose that when 
v begins like i, and the right-hand branch is looped 
at the top, so as to make the turn without lifting the 
pen, the letter becomes nearly a perfect o —a very 
unsatisfactory result considering the claim for the 
Railroad Fist to be “perfect legibility.” 



While the old-fashioned capital W bears a nearer 
resemblance to the printed letter than does any other 
style, the one most used by the telegraphers shows 
a little deviation from the usual practice, for here a 
preference seems given to a style not so closely 
resembling the printed form. However, not the least 
in legibleness seems to be sacrificed—the preferred 
style apparently speaks “W” just as plainly as does 
the printed letter itself; and because its execution re¬ 
quires none of the circling movement towards the 
right, there are obvious reasons why the style ac- 


73 



cords with every principle involved. Except from be¬ 
ing left and right, both sides should be comparatively 
the same in shape and size, although it is allowable 
and frequently more convenient to loop the branch 
at the finish like capital V. While there is no harm 
in giving this style a little slant, it is best, until the 
form is pretty well mastered, to favor a vertical build. 

The finished letter should have a narrow, rather 
than a broad appearance. 



The smaller plate illustrates how one form of cap¬ 
ital M makes a very good W simply by eliminating 
the last downward stroke. 


Small x, like ~k, occasions some question as to just 
which form is more nearly standard, the question 
resting between two styles, the written and the print¬ 
ed. Where the written x is used, it is made like small 
i and crossed with a downward stroke—a practice 
which is in opposition to the opinion of the artistic 
penman who holds that x should be crossed with an 
upward stroke; however, as stated elsewhere, the re¬ 
quirements of speed and convenience differ from 
those of art and grace. The printed x is no more 
difficult than the written, and while it is somewhat 
more legible than the other form, it can hardly be 


74 




said to have the preference. Printing the letter has 
one advantage in that it becomes unnecessary to re¬ 
turn to make the cross after the word is finished, the 
character being made complete before the pen con¬ 
tinues on its way. Even when x is written, the writ¬ 
ing line is usually disconnected on one side or the 
other—if on the right, the letter should be crossed be¬ 
fore the pen is carried farther. The specimens shown 
are correct examples of x as handled by those who are 
admitted to be the best. 



The infrequency with which the capital X occurs, 
renders its handling a matter of insignificance when 
compared with that of any other capital, even Z. 
Between the printed and the written forms there is 
very little difference, but it is best not actually to 
print the letter, excepting when it occurs with figures. 
Where its use is intended as that of a written char¬ 
acter, such as may be required in abbreviations or 
other symbols, it is given the best “written” appear¬ 
ance by making the first downward stroke a slightly 
compound curve. Cross the letter from upper right to 
lower left. 

Y 

In different paragraphs elsewhere, attention has 
been called to the telegrapher's apparent aversion to 


75 



the use of the left curve, especially as a beginning to 
any letter; but in his treatment of y it is observed 
that he deviates a little from his usual practice and 
condescendingly begins this letter in the ordinary 
way; that is, with a left curve. 

Making the allowance in this instance shows very 
good judgment, for to begin y with a right instead 
of a left curve would greatly destroy its balance and 
legibleness. Small y occurs most frequently at the 
end of words, and where so located the loop should 
be handled identically as is the corresponding part 
of g. The top should be well drawn out, which way 
of handling not only has a tendency to preserve the 
balance of the letter, especially where the loop is car¬ 
ried well backwards, but, owing to the crook in the 
compound curve being so greatly lessened, the execu¬ 
tion is also rendered a corresponding amount easier. 



It is sometimes observed that those who write a 
“cramped” hand do not carry their lower loops back¬ 
ward to any extent, but, instead, resort to the practice 
of doubling them up in the middle so that the bends in 
the downward strokes necessarily bulge considerably 
ahead of the point from which they begin at the top. 
This is allowable to some extent; at least enough to 
allow the upward course of the pen to describe a near- 


76 



ly straight line, but the practice overdone greatly im¬ 
pairs the appearance of the writing. Endeavor to 
have the loops favor a narrow design, and the bad 
effect will be avoided—neither upper nor lower loops 
that are very full or of triangular shape are very 
often found in the specimens of writing submitted by 
the best. 

What there is to say with respect to the capitals Y 
and Z is in main much the same as the comments con¬ 
cerning the lower case forms, excepting that, as the 
capitals are handled on a larger scale,• it is usually 
necessary to construct them on a somewhat narrower 
plan so as to confine their width to a reasonable 
amount of line space. However, where capital Y oc¬ 
curs at the beginning of a line or sentence, it is quite 
the practice to treat it the same as small y; that is, 
to stretch, or widen, out the construction at the top. 

Z 

When making z, it is necessary to rotate the 
circling movement towards the right, and for this 
reason the penman who writes a rapid hand is never 
over zealous in practicing words in which either the 
upper or the lower case form is present. Through en¬ 
deavors to improve the old, or to design a new style, 
the form from time to time has been subjected to 
considerable experiment; but “plain old z” has stood 
well the test of time and has much the best of any 
innovations frequently given trial. There is occasion 
here to refer again to the telegrapher’s aversion to 
the use of the left curve, but the employment of this 
principle of writing can hardly be avoided when the 


77 


regular form of z is used; however, admitting the let¬ 
ter to be a somewhat difficult one, there is little cause 
for annoyance when the infrequency of its occurrence 
is taken into consideration. In order to avoid a com¬ 
pound curve, z is not always connected to whatever 
letter it chances to follow, and where the writing line 
is so separated, the letter assumes a very close re¬ 
semblance to figure 3. 



When one takes into consideration the simplicity in 
construction of the character &, and the small amount 
of study and appliance that should suffice to enable 
almost any one of ordinary ability to handle the 
letter correctly, it is something of a wonder why so 
many of the average class should persist in always 
making their &’s entirely wrong. 

Handwriting specimens chosen from among the 
average class of office workers usually reveal many 
“hit and miss” styles of the letter, but the most com¬ 
mon error is that of making the “V” part of the con¬ 
struction with a loop at the bottom; and some go so 
far as to make the letter wrong way round, or even 
upside down. It appears that too many are of the opin¬ 
ion that almost any kind of snarl will do for & and yet, 
as a matter of fact, when speed and legibleness are 



taken into consideration, there is really no better or 
easier way of turning the trick than that of making 
the letter exactly right. There is little difference be¬ 
tween the printed and the written forms, except that 
the script style is pointed, like V, instead of rounded 
at the bottom. Begin with a somewhat narrow V. 
starting downward with the right-hand branch. Make 
no loop at the bottom, and carry the left side upward 
into a reversed loop with the finishing line crossing 
the main part of the construction near the center. 

FIGURES 

r | A HERE is probably no other place in the business 
world where consequences such as are sometimes 
resultant from a wrong or an illegible figure can com¬ 
pare in the matter of cost with what some of these 
errors, which from one point of view are seemingly 
slight, have at times been accountable for in one or 
another of the various channels of railroading. It 
cannot be said however that any errors of the kind 
are ever allowed to creep into the business without 
every precaution being taken to guard against them— 
a thought along this line suggests further comment 
in the following paragraph: 

In most instances the railroad employe enters the 
service while comparatively young and usually re¬ 
mains in one or another of the different departments 
during his whole career of usefulness. The ability 
of a railroad man is judged to a considerable extent 
by the infrequency of his errors and mistakes; and 
since figures constitute a factor of so much importance 
in practically every branch of the service, there exists 


79 


among the thousands who together make up this 
extensive ? r my of workers an endeavor to be con¬ 
stantly on 'Uie watch and to eliminate as far as pos¬ 
sible any such errors as would be likely to result in un¬ 
necessary expense or, perhaps, in as much as disaster. 
And so, in consequence of the time and the effort 
that is devoted towards the accomplishment of abso¬ 
lute accuracy, it would be well-nigh impossible to 
design a more legible and mistake-proof set of 
numerals—that is, one to be executed with the hand 
and pen—than is found in every day use among those 
who are frequently dubbed “the old rails.” 

The operator, like the short-hand writer, uses no 
abbreviated forms for figures—“the plainer the bet¬ 
ter” seems to be the maxim. However, in the matter of 
time, it is in no way necessary for the operator to re¬ 
sort to the use of any particular “short-cuts” when 
copying figures—these characters must of necessity be 
transmitted to him separately and not jumbled to¬ 
gether nor grouped into combinations as is so much 
the case with letters and words. For this reason, the 
penman of average ability usually has plenty of time 
to write his figures carefully, even when the sending 
is pretty fast. 

All authorities on writing agree in that figures 
should always be made small and never connected. 
However, whether made small or otherwise, they 
should at least be kept from anything like touching 
or overlapping; consequently, in order to be kept 
from occupying too much line space, it follows, 
obviously, that figures must be made small in order 
to be kept far enough apart. Where the writing is 


80 


done in books and on blanks that have been ruled 
especially for the purpose, figures ca" ''till be made 
large enough to evidence ease in their execution with¬ 
out any part of their constructions touching the ruled 
lines, unless, perhaps, it chances to be an occasional 
downward stroke of 7 or 9. If figures are made so 
large as to overlap the rulings, the effect is much the 
same as when lines are intentionally drawn through 
them for the purpose of obliteration; consequently, 
it should be understood that their legibleness will 
always be more or less impaired when they are not 
kept well within the space intended for them. 



I Wf 



Make figures almost entirely with the finger move¬ 
ment—the hand may be rocked to some extent, but 
the energy exercised in manipulating the pen or pen¬ 
cil should function from the fingers alone. Execute 
them with a quick and snappy action, and practice on 
the proper forms until they are made correctly from 
habit rather than because thought is given to just 
where every line and angle should be drawn. Bear 
in mind, however, that one must not suppose that 
the hand of its own accord will form any of the 
characters correctly, except occasionally by accident, 
unless there has been previously fixed in the mind a 
mental picture of the exact form that is desired of 
the hand to execute. Make figures on a nearly ver¬ 


st 




tical build—there should be only enough slant to keep 
them from having too much of a mechanically 
drawn appearance; also, the stems of the l’s, 7’s, and 
9’s, when in columns, should never be allowed to 
“connect up” in perpendicular lines. On the other 
hand, it is not always easy for every one to make 
columns look even and straight when the figures are 
slanted as much as is necessary where one is governed 
by the old-time principles taught by the school-ma’ams. 

1: Just a snappy downward movement of the 
fingers make the figure 1. The heaviest pressure of 
the pen should be at or near the top and diminish 
uniformly as the pen is carried downward. Do not 
make this figure with the little “upstart” at the top, 
like printed 1—such figure l’s are sometime mis¬ 
taken for 7’s. 

2: Figure 2 begins like the ordinary style and 

may be finished either with or without the compound 
curve at the bottom—the tendancy with the “ops” 
is to consider the figure completed with the down¬ 
ward turn, although a little twist of the fingers pro¬ 
duces the compound curve practically as well. Where 
space is limited, the first mentioned way has the pref¬ 
erence. 

3: The operator’s 3 is very much like the lower 
case z, except not quite so much elongated. Care 
should be taken to finish with a uniformly curved 
flourish—figure 3’s never look right unless the finish¬ 
ing flourish is as neatly executed as the flourished end 
of the capital stem in any capital form. 

4: Make the angled part of figure 4 first, then 
finish with a snappy downward stroke correspond- 


82 


ing with the action employed in making figure 1. 
When the angle is made square, or nearly so, the 
figure is given a somewhat better appearance by 
curving the main downward stroke slightly towards 
the left with most of the bend in the upper half. 
Where the angle is more acute, so that the completed 
figure has much the appearance of a printed 4, the 
main downward stroke should stand practically ver¬ 
tical and must not be curved. In very rare instances 
the printed form is actually used, and, where such 
is the practice, the standard is started upwards from 
the bottom; but the reversed movement and the num¬ 
erous angles to be turned make the style too im¬ 
practicable for ordinary usage. 

5: Begin with a short and straight downward line 
and finish like the lower part of 3, observing the same 
particulars with regard to the flourish. It is not im¬ 
perative that the finishing line at the top be made 
horizontal—by bringing into play the operator’s 
favorite side-swipe movement, the line may be in¬ 
clined upwards as much as 45 degrees where one so 
prefers. The execution of this line is identical with 
that of crossing t —a reference to the different ex¬ 
amples illustrated will disclose that not all the t’s are 
crossed horizontally, except where it is desired to 
carry the line directly forward so as to combine the 
action with some other requirement. 

6: The writer once had acquaintance with a lad at 
school who, regardless of all instruction received to 
the contrary, would persist in making his 6’s by 
starting with the loop at the bottom; but as that un¬ 
fortunate youth departed all his troubles many years 


83 


ago, it is doubtful if there is left in the world today 
one other person who has ever resorted to the same 
unusual practice; therefore, it is not believed neces¬ 
sary to give any instruction here with regard to just 
which way one properly begins the figure 6. It 
should be added, nevertheless, that it is not allowable 
to be “skimpy” with certain parts of the different 
numerals if they are to stand out with the desirable 
amount of boldness, and the loop of figure 6 is one 
example. The others include the square of 4, the low¬ 
er part of 5, the horizontal line of 7, and the oval of 9. 

7: The top of the operator’s capital T bears a close 
resemblance to the corresponding part of his figure 
7—a style that could never be misread. The figure 
should not be made with the little downward stroke 
at the outer end of the horizontal part—too many 
7’s of that type, when carelessly made, have been 
mistaken for poorly made 4’s or 9’s. Make the 
downward stroke of 7 with the quick and snappy ac¬ 
tion of the fingers, practically as in figure 1. 

8: A very common error in the way of making 
8 is by starting with a nearly straight downward line, 
the same as one properly begins the 6; whereas, like 
the letter S the figure 8 properly begins by carrying 
the line towards the left from the starting point, 
and the straighter part of the construction should be 
made with the upward stroke at the finish. Where 8 
is constructed in the wrong way, there is always a ten¬ 
dency to make the turn too sharp at the upper left 
quarter, after which it is necessary to finish with a 
nearly straight and horizontal line towards the right. 

9: Begin 9 with a liberal sized oval and finish with 


84 


a snap like figure 1. Remember that when handling- 
figures in accordance with the improved method, the 
downward strokes of 1, 4, 7, and 9 are executed in 
a way somewhat different from that which is 
customarily taught in the graded school—the truly 
rapid penman, when properly applying his craft, never 
brings the downward strokes to a positive stop at the 
bottom. As has been shown, the pen is carried down¬ 
ward with a snap and forward to the following figure 
or letter without the sign of a check in the movement. 

When figures are made with a pen, one should 
endeavor to bring into play exactly the same action 
as when a pencil or a stylus is used. An excellent 
thing in practice is to make a line or two of figures 
with pencil, then with pen and ink to do likewise again, 
endeavoring to keep the action and touch the same at 
all times. One should not become any discouraged 
if the pen shows an inclination to scratch a little at 
the first few trials of this experiment—the scratching 
will gradually disappear as the fingers and hand be¬ 
come better acquainted with and adapt themselves to 
the proper grip and action. A light and artistic touch 
is an admirable accomplishment in writing; but fig¬ 
ures, in order to look right, must bear the appearance 
of having been put down with confidence and preci¬ 
sion—we cannot feel so sure that they are as truthful 
as reputed when there apparently is weakness and fal¬ 
tering in the way they voice their claims. 


85 


GENERAL 

"\ytTHEN only ordinary specimens of the “Rail- 
* * road Fist” are first brought to the attention 
of one who is entirely unacquainted with the char¬ 
acteristic* features of the style, the scrutiny is not al¬ 
ways followed by any great burst of enthusiasm; but 
when one considers that the stranger to the style is 
usually the individual from the old school—that 
abode of strictness where the eye is never trained to 
see good qualities in handwriting unless the uniform¬ 
ity is almost above criticism in every way—it can 
hardly be supposed that observance from such a view 
point can at first approve of a style where the matter 
of uniformity, if not altogether disregarded, is, to say 
the most, never given more than a very slight con¬ 
sideration. 

There are a few types of the telegraphic script that 
in some respects bear considerable resemblance to the 
style of vertical writing which was introduced with 
but little success by various educational bureaus some 
twenty years ago; but there are obvious reasons why 
the vertical writing should be a failure where the 
telegraphic style is a greater success in business 
channels than any other idea of long hand writing 
that has as yet been conceived. In the first place, the 
advocates of the vertical system attempted to teach 
with it the full arm movement, but it since has been 
satisfactorily demonstrated that the vertical style 
cannot be handled so successfully as can the slanting- 
style when the full arm movement is employed— 
apparently the swing of the arm does not come in the 


86 


right direction. In lower grades at school, where en¬ 
tire finger movement is allowable, very encouraging 
results can be obtained with vertical writing; but in 
the intermediate and higher grades—where pupils are 
required to “speed up” and the teachers begin to in¬ 
sist more upon having full arm movement—right 
away there is evidence that something is wrong with 
the method. Again, the principle of the system re¬ 
quired that all the downward strokes of the pen should 
be described exactly vertical, the pen to be traveled 
from left to right with the upward strokes only. 
The least deviation from “plumb” is much easier 
discerned than the same or even a greater variance 
of degree in a slanted line; therefore, the extreme 
difficulty in keeping all the downward strokes exactly 
vertical and straight enough to conform with a 
definite system, was another feature of the vertical 
style that had much to do with its failure. 

But to return to the subject—In the year nineteen 
seventeen, there was conducted in the columns of the 
Railroad Man’s Magazine a telegraphic penmanship 
contest in which railroad and commercial telegraphers 
from nearly every quarter of the globe participated; 
and through courtesy of The Frank A. Munsey com¬ 
pany, once publishers of that popular periodical, the 
writer has been granted permission to reproduce in 
this work a desired number of the prize winning 
specimens which were published in the contest series. 

The copy shown on the opposite page, which was 
awarded first prize, is undisputably an excellent 
specimen of typically telegraphic chirography; but, 
in the opinion of the author, the writing appears to 


87 





88 


have been executed with a little too much painstak¬ 
ing, so that the exactness, which it seems almost un¬ 
fair to brand a fault, gives to the copy a close appear¬ 
ance of having been printed from script type, in¬ 
stead of reproduced as it first was from actual hand¬ 
writing. 

Observe that in most places each letter begins 
anew; whereas, taking into consideration the form 
of the letter immediately preceding or following, it 
should not have been necessary to lift the pen. Note 
this particularly of the way the small e’s are handled. 
In some words the line is disconnected between every 
letter, but the pen lifting has not been occasioned be¬ 
cause of any circular movement around the different 
characters—it appears to be simply a case of finish one 
and begin another. Nevertheless, the specimen is 
in other respects an excellent example of the tele¬ 
graphic hand, and the '“op” who pastes it in his hat 
will make no mistake. The specimen was submitted 
by Benj. H. Tidrick, who in 1917 was a telegrapher 
of Indianapolis, Ind. 

As has been previously stated, it is not the purpose 
of this work to offer any great part of the specimen 
writing for “set copy”—that is, not more at any rate 
than may suit the fancy of the student to accept— 
nor have any of the plates been designed with a view 
to showing displays such as in other fields are termed 
“elegance in writing.” However, those who wish to 
learn, if willing to be advised, cannot go far astray 
by endeavoring to have their handwriting conform 
closely in appearance with any of the three follow¬ 
ing specimens which were submitted by telegraphers 

89 


L. M. McCormick, E. M. Shaler, and E. R. Wake¬ 
field, respectively. 

These specimens have more of that appearance 
which the writing assumes when copied “right from 
the sounder;” and the ability to execute with the 
proper knack such a style to a nicety is the accomplish¬ 
ment this work endeavors to teach. These copies 
have been selected because of the three distinctly 
different types illustrated. The first evidences a 
uniformly light touch. The second, while illustrating 
what usually would class with the heavier hands, 
shows the touch to have been somewhat “springy.” 
The third is “heavy” throughout, the line being 
practically uniform in both upward and downward 
directions; however, the style of pen used undoubtedly 
had much to do with this effect. 

The inserted sample telegram may appear to be 
somewhat “overdone,” but it has been so designed 
in order to include all the letters of the alphabet, both 
upper and lower case, all the numerals, and a few 
special forms. In several instances the same letter 
has been handled in different ways—not merely as 
a matter of fancy, but mostly for the reason that a 
different principle has been brought into play in each 
particular case. Not all the saving of time and effort 
that is taken advantage of by those who employ this 
system of writing is at first revealed when one has no 
more than the writing itself to look to for the 
evidence of this skill; that is, unless the scrutiny is 
by one thoroughly conversant with the principles in¬ 
volved. It is not usually noticed by the lay observer 
that the forms of the telegraphic pen characters are 


90 



91 







92 



93 


governed, not so much by any plan bearing upon the 
build of the letters within themselves, as by an effect 
depending on the direction from which the pen is car¬ 
ried into, or to which it is carried out of the different 
constructions. This is one of the features having 
much to do with the characteristic appearance of the 
style—the same letter frequently varies much in form, 
the variation depending much upon the word in which 
it chances to occur. In the specimen writing here, 
attention is called to the different forms of the small 
letters d, e, f, g, h, k, o, p, and s, the various designs 
of which have been included in the illustration be¬ 
cause of the frequency of their appearance in the 
every-day handwriting of the telegraphers. 

Other characteristic features of the telegraphic 
style can be observed by the liberal spacing between 
the words, and in the lack of uniformity in size and 
slant—the latter features, however, governed by 
principles in nearly every instance. The liberal 
spacing not only adds greatly to the legibleness, but, 
owing to the effect it has in removing the bad ap¬ 
pearance otherwise conspicuous because of the vari¬ 
ance in slant, also does wonders for the general ap¬ 
pearance of the writing. Note that where words are 
tied together—a practice sometimes overdone—the 
line is never carried to a small letter nor to a figure, 
but only to an occasional capital. Also observe that al¬ 
though a single word may contain letters of several 
different sizes, the variations in this respect are evi¬ 
denced as a matter of height; that is, all scragginess 
occasioned thereby appears only along the tops—the 
bottoms of the small letters, for the best appear- 


94 













ance, should always rest as nearly as possible 
upon an exactly straight line, whether it is 
one drawn or imaginary. As is the case with a type¬ 
writer, it is an utter impossibility to produce neat 
appearing work when the machine is out of alignment. 
The principle is the same elsewhere—neither writing 
nor printing can look the best, no matter how per¬ 
fectly formed may be the characters, when the align¬ 
ment is poor. 

Dearth of punctuation is also noticeable, but this 
is offset to a considerable extent by an elaborate use 
of capitals—neither periods nor commas seem so much 
required where all the statements are short and are 
capitalized, as also are many of the most important 
words. When copying word by word, the average 
telegrapher often finds it somewhat difficult to carry 
in the mind a proper sense of syntactical construction, 
especially when the wording is purposely written with 
many irregular ellipses, as is usually the practice 
wherever communications are to be transmitted by 
telegraph; and so, this fact probably accounts to a 
great extent for the custom that the telegrapher has 
for a promiscuous use of capitals—no particular harm 
is done by throwing in an occasional unnecessary 
capital, but to leave one out where its use has been 
intended would be almost ruinous. Even when the 
words from the sounder are being copied and under¬ 
stood in their proper sense, it is not always possible 
to anticipate enough of what is coming to enable one 
to tell just where the capitals should or should not 
be used; therefore, the general practice is to “play 
safe” and “use ’em plenty.” Very often, too, the 


95 


capital is used merely because the letter chances to 
be of such design that the pen more conveniently 
swings into the upper rather than the lower case 
form. 

In the matter of flourishing, it can be said that 
the lower left-hand flourish, which is practically the 
only one used, is not in any way a superfluity, since 
it is very seldom that any of the capitals are ap- 
pendaged with this principle merely for the sake of 
decoration. Its use in most instances is required in 
order to complete the construction of whatever letter 
it chances to form a part; and where in a few in¬ 
stances it possibly could be dispensed with, it is 
usually no more than the course over which the point 
of the pen is carried when the movement is changed 
from a backward to a forward direction. The lower 
right-hand flourish, such as is so easily attached to 
capitals ending like A, M, and a few others, because i 
of being purely a decorative feature, is rarely if ever 
used excepting in the instance where the cyma of 
capital L is occasionally given a little touch of super¬ 
fluousness. The lower left-hand flourish, first re-1 
ferred to, has been given some attention under the re¬ 
marks on the capital stem. It was here explained that 
the oval of the flourish is usually constructed on a 
slanting instead of a horizontal plan, and there are 
two reasons why this should be the case: First, the 
slanting curves are more easily executed than are the 
horizontal when either the swaying or the side-rocking 
movement of the hand is employed. Second, the 
slanted oval is of such form that its finishing line al¬ 
lows the pen to leave off while traveling in a direction 


96 



“straight ahead;” whereas, when the oval is made 
horizontal, the finishing stroke requires more or less 
of a downward course, depending on whether the 
oblong is full or narrow. 

In the matter of learning to write merely what is 
usually termed “a good hand,” it may be said that 
there are a great many persons in the world today 
who would write much better than they do were it 
not for the fact that, unless one makes a particular 
study of the matter in hand, it is always somewhat 
difficult for the average individual to see the lesser 
imperfections in his own art or handicraft. ‘This 
statement reminds the writer of the fact that he once 
knew a man who claimed the distinction of being the 
“poorest writer in the world, but”—as he always 
added—“there’s one thing about her that I can say 
for myself—'she’s always just as easy to read as 
print.’ ” Any one who had ever seen a specimen of 
this individual’s handwriting would willingly concede 
that for the first part of his assertion there was con¬ 
siderable ground upon which he was entitled to base 
his claim; but the critic who, conscientiously, ever 
awarded the writing any further marks of credit, 
must indeed have been adept at reading between the 
lines. 

And there are others. Many like the individual 
mentioned would possibly strive to improve their 
handwriting were it not so nearly impossible for 
them to see their own homely scrawls as they appear 
to anybody else. In other words, they fail to take in¬ 
to consideration the fact that they seldom have the 
privilege of reviewing their own specimens of hand- 
97 


writing when the deciphering is not considerably 
aided by a recollection of what has been written. 
Again, owing to an inclination usually so adverse 
to anything like the study of penmanship, practically 
all the writing such persons ever perform is only when 
positive necessity demands it; and, consequently, 
when the individual of this class labors under the 
belief that his style of chirography—if so it may be 
called—is “good enough,” there is little wonder that 
deterioration rather then improvement is usually the 
safest gamble. 

And so, one should not be too positive that a 
creditably legible hand has been acquired nor over¬ 
stocked with belief in the eyes, for memory or 
knowledge of what has been written may be supplying 
much of what the eye sees only in imagination. In 
order to avoid being misled by any such delusion, 
the safest plan is to study one’s own hand occasionally, 
and once in every little while to give a page of the writ¬ 
ten work a thorough reviewing. A little practice on a 
few of the most difficult combinations, if nothing 
more, will help considerably; at least, much more 
than no practice at all. Also, improvement is sure 
to follow if one will but pause occasionally and take 
pains with some particular character instead of al¬ 
ways allowing the hand and fingers to jog along at 
random. 

Again, there are many who like to write and who 
really do take up the pen occasionally for nothing- 
more than practice, but they are often too fond of de¬ 
voting the time only to easy forms or to a few other 
such words and characters as chance to be their favor- 


98 



ites. This is wrong. In order to have a field uniform¬ 
ly smooth, the greatest amount of harrowing must 
be done on the roughest ground. 

When we consider that for one to learn to write 
like the artist, or professional, usually means years 
of practice—most professionals are overtaken by the 
grim reaper while still practicing in order to improve 
the hand—one is likely to become discouraged and 
think, “The task is too great—why attempt learn¬ 
ing to write well at all! ,? But such conclusion is 
grossly erroneous. Any one who strives to do so 
can acquire a hand so neat and legible as to awaken 
admiration wherever seen without more practice than 
is usually obtained in ordinary office work. Bear in 
mind that the writing can comprise every desirable 
quality of merit without bearing the slightest 
resemblance to the artistic or ornate style. 

In conclusion, it can be stated that the foregoing 
lessons and suggestions have been designed with a 
view to aiding, not only the telegrapher, but any one 
who lacks both the time and the inclination to practice 
in the way that the professional learns his art, but 
who cannot but experience -a desire ,to acquire a 
perfectly legible and practical style of handwriting 
while merely “going along.” And for such of those 
who, owing to their penmanship difficulties, are some¬ 
what handicapped in the matter of keeping “in the 
swim,” and who extend a hand to receive this volume 
with expectation of being benefited thereby, there is 
a hope that the move will result, not in any such way 
as would a grasp for the proverbial straw, but in 


99 


more than suitably requiting the pains. At any rate, 
such will be the end if the good wishes of the author 
are to be of any avail. 


100 











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